Applications of spatial pedagogy

The concept of spatial pedagogy and the taxonomy of classroom spaces (Lim, 2011; Lim et al, 2012) have been productively applied and usefully extended by researchers studying learning spaces across a range of contexts. In this section, we describe some of these recent studies as a way to review the utility of the ideas discussed in this chapter.

Within the primary school context in Greece, Eleni Gana and her colleagues adopted a multimodal analytical approach to study the semantic potential of classroom spaces in the Mathematics classroom (Gana, Stathopoulou, & Chaviaris, 2015). Adopting a social semiotic lens on teaching and learning, Gana et al. (2015) analysed two one-hour-long, video-recorded lessons from two primary mathematical classes. They applied the taxonomy of classroom spaces and coded the lesson videos in one-minute intervals based on the teacher’s position, movement, language, and gaze. Their findings suggest that the teacher’s use of space serves as ‘material forces’ that are subject to and are reflexive of the teacher’s pedagogy. Gana et al. (2015) also observed that the teachers in both classes reshaped the spatial display of the classroom and hence reconfigured the semantics of the classroom space to express specific pedagogical discourse. In this, they affirm the argument that the teachers’ use of classroom space is an integral part of their pedagogy'.

Within the university context in Spain, Teresa Morell applied the taxonomy of classroom spaces to examine an English-medium instructor’s spatial pedagogy' in a lecture. For each stage of the lesson activity in the class, Morell (2018) mapped the classroom’s setting with the positions of students and the instructor as well as the direction of the instructor’s gaze. With this, she examined how the instructor made use of the classroom space through his positioning. She found that the instructor’s language, gaze, gestures, and use of space enabled him to textually organise and interpersonally' involve the students to elicit conceptual meanings. Morell’s (2018) findings concur with the argument expressed in Lim et al. (2012) that the positioning and movement of a teacher in the classroom are integral to the pedagogical process.

Across Europe, comparisons between classrooms in Manchester and Copenhagen were examined by James Furlong. He applied the taxonomy of classroom spaces to observe the impact of the use of these spaces on the pedagogy of the teachers (Furlong, 2015). He observed that teachers seem to apply incongruent pedagogies with flexibility in standard classrooms and surveillance and control in open-plan environment. This is consistent with the argument that all semiotic modes, and the use of classroom space being one, work in combination, rather than in isolation, as part of the design of the learning experience for students. Some classroom lay'outs may offer more authoritative spaces that encourage a didactic pedagogy, whereas other classroom layouts may' offer many interactional spaces that encourage a participative pedagogy. However, the teacher has the power to subvert the affordances of these lay'outs through exercising their control of the discourses in the classroom, and the orchestration of the other semiotic modes.

In Asia,Thomas Amundrud examined the feedback sessions between the teacher and students in the Japanese tertiary' EFL (English as Foreign Language) classroom (Amundrud, 2015). He adopted the social semiotic lens on teaching and learning as the understanding that the teacher’s use of classroom space is a semiotic mode for meaning-making. Amundrud (2015) applied the taxonomy of classroom spaces to map the meanings made in the consultation sessions and presented implications of such research on SLA (Second Language Acquisition) studies.

In the Middle East, Perihan Korkut applied the taxonomy of classroom spaces to compare between pre-service teachers and in-service teachers’ classroom management in Turkey (Korkut, 2017). He found that the differences between beginning teachers and experienced teachers, while not immediately observable to the casual observer, could be explicated through a study of their use of semiotic modes, including their use of space through positioning and movement. In so doing, he suggests implications on teachers’ pre-service training and professional learning.

In Australia, Louise Ravelli, in her study of university learning spaces, argues that the movement of the teacher to control the visibility of learning resources and monitor students’ work brings about different communicative patterns that create specific social relations (Ravelli, 2018). As such, the spatial pedagogy of the teacher serves to express specific metafunctional meanings in the design of students’ learning experiences.

In New Zealand, Sean Sturm explored the possibilities presented in university learning spaces (Sturm, 2018). He applied the taxonomy of classroom spaces to explore the interaction between the teacher and students. Sturm (2018) argues that the study of these practices can advance a ‘participatory pedagogy’ in teaching and learning in institutes of higher education.

In Uruguay, Paula Cardellino and her colleagues also applied the concept of spatial pedagogy to study how classroom spaces can either facilitate or inhibit behaviours and relationships between the teacher and students.They argue that the nature and types of classroom spaces affect the quality and extent of visual interaction between the teacher and students (Cardellino, Araneda, & Alvarado, 2017), In this, they affirm the argument that the design of learning spaces as well as the movement and positioning of the teacher in these spaces can shape the learning experience of the students.

In Sweden, Tamara Mehdi and Hanna Fristedt explored the teacher’s use of multimodal resources in a second language classroom (Mehdi & Fristedt, 2018). They applied the taxonomy of classroom space to code the teacher’s use of space in relation to her choices made in language and gestures.They affirmed the argument that it was crucial for the teachers to be aware of the use of space, gestures, gaze, and language in their teaching.

The concept of spatial pedagogy can be applied to present insights on the students’ learning experience in real classrooms as well as in virtual classrooms. Contrasting language teaching and learning between a conventional classroom and in 3D virtual worlds, Sabine Tan and her colleagues applied the taxonomy of classroom spaces, amongst other semiotic modes, such as gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures, to highlight the complexity of digital multimodal learning environment (Tan, O’Halloran, & Wignell, 2016). Through the comparison, they demonstrate how the orchestration of the teacher’s semiotic modes is integral to facilitate language learning in an orderly, structured, and goal-oriented manner in the classroom. In contrast, the avatar teacher’s uncoordinated use of semiotic modes may pose problems for successful learning in the virtual learning spaces. Tan et al. (2016) argue that the findings have implications on CALL (Computer-assisted Language Learning) approaches in demonstrating that teaching and learning is more than just the dissemination of knowledge through language.Teaching involves an orchestration of a multimodal ensemble in the design of the learning experience, in which they posit - materiality makes a difference.

The argument that the use of spaces in the classroom has a profound impact on teaching and learning is affirmed by the work ofTerry Byer and his colleagues (Byer, Imms, & Hartnell-Young. 2014). They recast the spatial pedagogy of the teacher as a part of‘built pedagogy’ (Monahan, 2002; Thomas, 2010), which is the ability of the cultural, psychological, and behavioural attributes of the physical space to shape both teaching and learning. Byer et al. (2014) also propose an approach -single-subject, repeated measures design (SSRD) — to measure the effects of space on students’ learning outcomes.

Taking the argument of spatial pedagogy further, Lara Sardinha and her colleagues posit that the classroom physical space could be construed as a learning ecosystem that brings together the social, cultural, architectural, and technological dimensions (Sardinha, Almeida, & Pedro, 2017). They apply the concept of spatial pedagogy to describe the social dimension in the classroom, where the meanings of the spaces are dependent on the nature of interaction between the teacher and students. Through their work, they hope to develop an innovative interior design strategy that can improve the use of classroom physical space across different dimensions.

The studies on the use of classroom space from around the world are evidence of an emerging and growing interest in how the teacher can design various learning experiences for their students through their use of space, as well as how the learning spaces in the classroom can be better designed. While the regularised use of space has led to conventional meanings being ascribed to the specific spaces, and that the use of these spaces can encourage certain pedagogies, the studies also suggest that the teacher has ultimate control and can exercise the choice to reshape the meanings of the spaces through their discourses. The studies affirm the importance for teachers to reflect on their use of classroom space as a part of their pedagogy. The utility of the concept of spatial pedagogy is also suggested through the implications a study of spatial semantics can offer to SLA instruction, CALL approaches, teachers’ preservice and professional learning, as well as on the design of learning spaces in both the general education and higher education contexts.