Learning Space(s) Matter: Analyzing Diverse Children’s Intra-Actions in the Classroom and at Forest School

• In Event: Child and Teacher Education From a Posthuman Lens

Abstract

In order to disrupt inequity in education, institutional practices that focus on ‘(self)regulation’ must be explored in relation to the everyday activities, the socio-material-temporal spaces in which they take place, and their impact on shaping both children’s and adult’s perceptions of
competency. This paper draws upon findings from a doctoral study of diverse children in both classroom and Forest School settings. Participants included teachers, students, and parents; methods included observations, audio-visual recordings, and video-stimulated interviews. To surface the social and material affordances of the more-than-human environment in which children participate, the study uses dialectical-environmental affordance theory as a framework for collecting and analyzing data. Findings provide empirical material to consider how socio-material space(s) shape children’s participation and adult’s perceptions.

Author

• Angela Rekers, St. Ambrose University