Spatially Democratic Pedagogy: Children’s Design and Co-Creation of Classroom Space
Author
Clement, Jennie
Date
2019-10-30Acceptance date
2019-10-02
Type
Article
Publisher
Springer
ISSN
1878-4658
0020-7187
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Young children’s participation has been specifically foregrounded as a pedagogical element within education policy in Wales. However, there is currently little evidence that this policy concerned with participation has been enacted. This research describes an intervention, Spatially Democratic Pedagogy, as a pedagogical approach to foster young children’s participation, through design and co-creation of their classroom space. A group of six children, aged 4–5 years, alongside their teacher, were supported through a design-based intervention to enact, document and analyse this process. The research draws upon social understandings of space, as well as Froebel’s ideas about construction of communal gardens. Findings illustrate notable differences in the roles and relationships that formed between the teacher and the children when using Spatially Democratic Pedagogy. Children were teachers, planners, architects, negotiators and problem-solvers, as they participated in co-construction of their space. The argument is made that it is the process of design and co-creation that becomes the mediator for pedagogical change and acts as the driver for children’s participation. The co-construction of space is an important element to support young children’s participation in early years classrooms.
Journal/conference proceeding
International Journal of Early Childhood;
Citation
Clement, J.. (2019) 'Spatially democratic pedagogy: Children’s design and co-creation of classroom space', International Journal of Early Childhood, pp.1-15.
Description
Article published in International Journal of Early Childhood available open access at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-019-00253-4
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
Collections
- Education Research [256]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
Silent voices of tourism: a narrative exploration of cervical spinal cord injury and leisure travel
Luther, Angela P. (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2010)Utilising an inter-disciplinary approach, this qualitative inquiry seeks to create a space for an absent group and experience by addressing severe physical disability, social exclusion and leisure travel. Drawing on a ... -
Visual perception in far peripheral visual space and its artistic representations
Ruta, Nicole (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2019)Far peripheral visual field occupies the vast majority of human visual field. With some recent exceptions (Freeman & Simoncelli, 2011; Strasburger, H., Rentschler, I., & Jüttner, M., 2011; Fortenbaugh, Sanghvi, ... -
An Exploration and Evaluation into the Current Provision for Outdoor Education in the Curriculum of an Exemplar Secondary School
Price, Jamie (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2014)Studies show that there has been a vast amount of research completed upon the topic of outdoor learning that highlight the benefits that outdoor programmes have upon children. The National Curriculum for Wales (NCW) ...