The Space Station is already capturing the imaginations of American students, encouraging them to pursue careers in the sciences. The idea of living and working in space continues to spark this renewed interest. The material in this guide was developed to provide hands-on experiences in science and math in the context of an International Space…

Pedagogy, the art and science of teaching, should be the driving force behind the design of any teaching facility. What is taught and how it is taught should determine the size, type, and configuration of educational space. The statement seems obvious, but often miscommunication and ill-considered compromises can divert a capital project from an…

This paper reports findings from a case study of an interactive theatre for young ethnic minority pupils in Hong Kong. Drawing upon Higgins's (1966) notion of 'intermedia' as a configurational principle, this creative project entails collaboratively-designed performances with elements of drama, music, dance, puppetry, and language learning…

Significant funding is devoted across the world to transforming traditional classrooms into flexible learning environments. These efforts are often motivated by a desire to create learning spaces attuned to twenty-first century competencies, which involve learning how to communicate, collaborate, think creatively, and how to become critical users…

To talk about space, spoken languages rely on arbitrary and categorical forms (e.g., left, right). In sign languages, however, the visual-spatial modality allows for iconic encodings (motivated form-meaning mappings) of space in which form and location of the hands bear resemblance to the objects and spatial relations depicted. We assessed whether…

This study used the concept of shared affordance space to explore students' perceptions of the use of a telepresence robot in a face-to-face classroom. Results from this qualitative pilot study suggest the telepresence robot has the potential to provide enough autonomy and agency for both the remote user and the in-class students to perceive a…

In small branch libraries, patrons seeking assistance from library staff outside of the dedicated single-service desk often results in large staffing inefficiencies. This paper presents a case study in which the authors applied behavioral psychology models to a branch library's space arrangement to identify possible factors influencing patron…

This paper describes the design and features of LEA (Learning Environment with Agent), an educational system which has the features of both synchronous and asynchronous group learning environments. The first section discusses group learning environments, including differences between individual learning and group learning, and the classification…

Taking place within the Science Through Technology-Enhanced Play (STEP) design-based research project, this paper describes how first- and second-grade students use their bodies to imaginatively become microscopic particles inside of a collaborative simulation of state change (e.g., liquid to gas) and within two distinct play spaces: a…

In Sweden and in other parts of Europe, the nature of religious education (RE) and its place in schools is the subject of ongoing discussions. Concepts used in the RE classroom can either open or close classroom conversations. A growing consensus can be observed among researchers that the concept of 'religion' is not sufficient to describe -- and…

This is a qualitative case study about the literacy practices of a Black family living in an urban context in Cali, Colombia. I analyzed the interaction between a Black family and social institutions, as mediated by literacies that assemble racial processes and family configurations. I collected data about the family in the settings in which the…

Many schools and students across the globe are now engaging with educational digital platforms in their teaching and learning experience. Platforms are changing what education is and how it is experienced. In response, educational research has devoted increasing attention to the so-called platformisation of education. This article contributes to…

An historical commitment to child-centred pedagogy notwithstanding, classrooms for an increasing diversity of young people are constituted by their constrained affordances for learning; a single teacher, configurations of tables and chairs, and digital resources. The remit of teaching in such confines perpetuates passivity, a one size fits all…

Discusses the importance of block play--including its contributions to perceptual, fine motor, and cognitive development--and components of a good preschool block play area. Recommends unit blocks complemented by stacking blocks, toys, beads, cubes, and Brio wooden toys. Makes recommendations for space, size, locations and connections to other…

Librarians often face challenges in library configuration and lack of space, collection management, and ease of use. This article briefly describes the challenges and solutions to managing a divided education collection at a comprehensive state university, part of which is housed in the center core of a round building. (Contains 2 figures and 5…