Abstract:

The influential role of the physical, social and digital environment in modern education and pedagogics is getting more and more attention (e.g. Byers et al. 2014, Grannäs & Stavem, 2020). Nevertheless, the role of space and architecture as “third teacher” neither showed up in curricula of architectural faculties and teacher training nor within the professional upgrade training programmes for teachers, architects or government employees. Educational buildings of the 21st century need physical and digital learning environments, which are flexible in their use and can be co-designed and rearranged by its users (Weyland & Watschinger 2017). Therefore school stakeholders must participate within the development-, design-, and construction process to make sure schools will to be built sustainable and pedagogical innovative.

Unfortunately, the necessary know-how and expertise for efficient cooperation and participatory processes is missing among the different experts involved. Europe-wide universities do not provide any kind of sustainable, transdisciplinary and application oriented master or postgraduate programmes to cover the demand, despite a course at the University of Gävle in Sweden in Swedish.

This gap is filled by PULS+, an ERASMUS+ funded project (www.erasmus/pulsverbund.eu). PULS+ offered an integral advanced training and qualification program addressing architectural and educational practice. Furthermore, students in architecture and pedagogics had the possibility to learn from professionals in the fields of school- and educational building development.

Methods:
An international learning and working environment, special business-, creative and participative scills and methods are trained and an intensive interaction between the different professions and disciplines are taking place.Different modules e.g. learning – space – developing – reflecting (academy) – are forming the centre of the course, accompanied by different workshops related to practice, internships or excursions. All events are hold internationally and are interlinked. Modules are set up in a way that students and experts of the involved professional guilds will learn from and with each other cross-functionally.

Outcomes:
Experts of economy, public administration and education formed a triangle of knowledge and experience. Professional practice and theory were continuously experienced multi-professionally, trans-disciplinarily, inter-regionally, forming a communtiy of practice and a growing network across Europe. As integrated parts the so-called “academies” also serve as an exchange platform for the involved teaching staff from universities and other institutions for their personal and professional development. Also the project led to the new profession of a “Learning environment-Developer”. On basis of these results a ERASMUS+ follow-up was funded to transfer the outcomesto the virtual space. The new project LEA (Learning environment applications, www.learning-environments.eu) is developing a MOOC (massive open online course), an app, a game and a handbook to support schools in re:thinking and co-creating their learning environments.

References:
[1] Byers T., Imms W. Hartnell-Young E. (2014) Making the case for space. Curriculum and Teaching 29:5-19
[2] Weyland B., Watschinger J. (2017), Lernen und Raum entwickeln, Klinkhardt, Monaco
[3] Grannäs J., Stavem S.M., 2020 Education Inquiry 12:266-281
[4]www.erasmus.pulsverbund.eu
[5] www.learning-environments.eu

Keywords:

Community of practice, innovative learning environments, participation, ERASMUS+, Virtual environments.