This study contributes to research on learning environments and their design by answering the question: How do upper secondary science teachers perceive the affordances and constraints for teaching and learning provided by a new science education building? (Gibson, 1979; Young & Cleveland, 2022)

Data was collected during pedagogical walk-throughs (Frelin et al., 2022; Sigurðardóttir et al., 2021) with two groups of science teachers, right before they moved into the new building. The walk-throughs were made in classrooms and transitional spaces, e.g. corridors and a cafeteria, which may also provide innovative opportunities for student learning (Boys et al. 2014). Data consisted of photos and plans of the spaces, teachers’ individual walk-through protocols and audio recordings of teacher utterances.

The analyses were supported by Ravelli and McMurtrie's (2016) multimodal theory of the built environment, focusing on representational, interactional and organisational meaning. The analytic focus was on how the teachers saw the presence of, and interaction among, different elements of the physical environment to afford or constrain the teaching and learning of science. 

Preliminary results: Representationally, classrooms, desks and storage opportunities were generally found well suited for teaching science although blackout curtains were insufficient for some teaching needs in physics, and teachers would not always have space to help all students. Interactionally, the building was perceived as welcoming with a light atmosphere. A traditional hierarchical structure with faculty offices on the locked top floor created a social distance between teachers and students, which was partly mitigated by teachers using standing tables in the student cafeteria. Organisationally, the lockers, staircase, classroom doors and the cafeteria, usually found in a school building, together with large windows both towards the outside and to breakout spaces, helped achieve cohesion within the building.

The physical spaces of education are not neutral containers but influential parts of the total learning environment. Teachers’ pedagogical decisions are made partly on the basis of the availability and organization of material and digital resources. However, teacher understandings, both individual and shared, of the possibilities offered by learning spaces are key to their full use. Therefore the provision of more versatile spaces, where groupings and activities can be varied, may not result in the intended educational innovations of collaborative teaching and student-centred learning. This paper answers the need to discover how educational spaces with such designs are being understood and used by teachers. This research used the OECD’s staff survey to investigate teachers’ views and their reported use of spaces in a sample of Swedish schools with either a traditional or innovative design. Alongside many similarities in responses across the two types of school design, we found slight differences in use of space, according to school type. This evidence that teachers are indeed recognising and exploiting the possibilities of these new designs is important for Swedish municipalities and other funders globally that are investing in such schools. It is also necessary to consider the limitations to pedagogical innovation that our findings suggest in order to develop better understanding of the design and use of twenty-first century schools.

Ensuring safety in school environments is a fundamental right for children, essential for fostering learning, well-being, and inclusivity. This study examines how physical design, organizational structure, educational upbringing, and social dynamics interact to influence safety in schools. Given that adult presence and professional judgments are essential to ensuring students’ right to safety, this study analyses teachers’ evaluations using two visual methods to explore how such rights are practically interpreted and enacted in school spaces. Using two complementary visual methods, Mapping and Diamond Ranking, teacher evaluations were analyzed to identify critical factors shaping perceptions of safety. The findings suggest the importance of adult presence, clearly defined spaces, and a sense of ownership in creating safe environments. Conversely, poorly designed areas, such as corridors and changing rooms, were associated with unsafety due to privacy concerns and inadequate supervision. By adapting Gislason’s school environment model to include dimensions of safety, this study offers a framework to understand how design and social factors intersect in shaping safe schools. The findings may provide insights for architects, planners, and educators seeking to foster safer and more inclusive school environments that support educational outcomes.

Recent literature on innovative learning environments primarily focuses on teacher readiness to utilise new spatial affordances. This article instead examines the adaptability of the spaces themselves, exploring how school leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand modify and refine spatial designs to enhance teaching and learning. A framework comprising Massey’s theory of space and Wenger’s communities of practice is used to conceptualise space as dynamically co-constructed through interrelations, constituting multiple identities and narratives, and constantly evolving in educational settings. The qualitative research, based on school leader interviews, illustrates how assessing pedagogical needs and critically evaluating the use of space in built environments can inform adaptations in spatial design. Vignettes illustrate specific examples of respatialisation, such as the strategic insertion of walls to create distinct learning zones and the removal of impractical and problematic architectural features. The findings highlight that successful respatialisation requires a thoughtful examination of educational practices and an adaptable approach to design, prioritising functionality alongside user well-being and safety. The article profiles a tool to guide practice and a flexible, responsive approach to school respatialisation, so that spaces remain physically adaptable and supportive of evolving educational goals.

This study aims to develop a theoretical framework for flexibility in Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs) based on teachers’ experiences in two newly built Swedish schools. Flexibility is examined across time, space, use, and movement through semi-structured interviews. Findings highlight how these categories interact to create both opportunities and challenges. Extending Woodman’s (2016) framework with curriculum theory, the study reveals that while ILEs support varied teaching methods and groupings, practical barriers like rigid schedules and shared spaces impede flexibility. These insights deepen understanding of the complex nature of teaching in flexible spaces. The research contributes to the theoretical discourse by highlighting the practical challenges teachers face and informing ILE design and professional development. The findings indicate that fostering adaptability requires attention not just to spatial elements, but also to structural and organizational dimensions. These considerations have implications for creating and sustaining truly flexible learning environments.

New types of learning spaces accommodating larger cohorts of students and enabling team-based teaching practices have emerged globally, presenting new opportunities and challenges for teacher interactions. These spaces, often referred to as innovative learning environments (ILEs), are associated with pedagogical approaches such as team teaching. This study unpacks team teaching in two case schools with ILEs, each characterised by distinct organisational structures. Teacher interviews provided data analysed through a model identifying a continuum of teacher interaction. Findings reveal that while co-location and coordination lay the groundwork for managing shared spaces, achieving pedagogical cooperation and collaboration requires deliberate strategies to realise pedagogical visions. This study contributes to the literature by incorporating spatial dimensions into the analysis of team teaching. It underscores the critical yet underutilised role of spatial design in facilitating effective team teaching and offers a framework for understanding the complexities of team teaching in contemporary educational contexts.

This paper explores the use of participatory methods prior to designing interventions within a research project at a primary school in central Sweden. The approach presented in the paper is based on the principles of participatory design (PD), to enhance the use of these methods within the areas of educational research (ER), lighting, and architecture. This approach aims to include participants of educational spaces and incorporate their views prior to design interventions. Two workshops were designed to support teachers' participation through hands-on activities. Twenty-eight teachers participated in the workshops. Scale models corresponding to two of the school's classrooms were used to initiate discussions regarding the interconnection between spatial layouts, lighting, and learning activities. The workshops' data collection analysis assisted the research group in understanding the school's spatial and learning characteristics. The information gathered from the workshops provided additional knowledge and informed the research project in a way that allowed for further development and changes within the project related to the additional variables measured along with light. According to the analysis, there is a correlation between the activity and the desired layout of the space, while the type of equipment also varies according to the task. 

Research over the past two decades has made clear the importance of physical space and material resources to education, as well as the need for educators to take control of these pedagogical tools. Methods and approaches have been developed to enable them to do this. In parallel, digital devices have, in many countries, become as commonplace in schools as they are in higher education, but it is far from clear how they are being used within schools, or understood by teachers. This chapter explores this postdigital school landscape. We take as our focus compulsory schools, serving children and young people from 6 to 16, in Sweden, a digitally mature and prosperous country where we can consider what is available, the nature of current practices and uses, and the possibilities for development. It is evident that schools and schooling consist of the digital entangled with the human and the physical. Recognising that alignment of the design and use of educational space is key to its success, and that practitioners’ own knowledge of a setting is considerable, teacher involvement in planning is key. Therefore, we consider collaborative approaches to developing and sharing knowledge of using school spaces and conclude with reflections on the possibilities for just and equitable postdigital educational innovation.