Agents, Agency, & Agencies in Assembling Liminal Learning Spaces

Agents, Agency, Agencies in Assembling Liminal Learning Spaces’ research project investigated the types of learning landscapes at LCC and UAL in order to propose a remodelling of the way we teach our students now and in the new LCC building in Elephant and Castle. It recognised that the more involved all participants in the hosting, delivery and acquisition of teaching and learning become in this research, the more likely we are to have a building that delivers world class teaching and learning. As Dr Cathy Hall states in the literature review of, The impact of new learning spaces on teaching practice (2013) ‘We need to “create a world-class learning environment for students by offering opportunities for collaboration, team work, a sense of belonging, a creative culture and opportunities to excel...” (Hall 2013)

The research looked at how we can create, spaces, physical, virtual and representational that fully allows for learning gain and aims to answer the question that Hall (2013) sets that, “no one knows how to prevent ‘learning-loss’ when you design a room ‘pedagogically’, whereas we know lots about designing for minimum ‘heat loss’ (Hall 2013)

This project interrogated a number of key questions such as ‘What do we want our learners to become? (LSC 2018). The Learning Spaces Collaboratory (LCS) has given a number of answers to this question based on their research one of them is that our leaners becoming ‘Agents of their own learning’. (LSC 2018). This lead to the question. ‘What experiences make that becoming happen? (Narum 2015) One answer could be that we create access to “laboratory” ‘hack’ ‘maker’ ‘prototype’ spaces to experiment with innovative pedagogies or more temporary mobile spaces, which fill an urgent pedagogical need.

The idea of liminal learning spaces (landscapes) was an over arching concept that drives this research. What might be called ‘uncontrolled’ informal spaces’ that rub shoulders and be contiguous with all other teaching and learning places. This project asked, can we go beyond the metaphors of ‘Blended Learning’, Braided Learning’ (Preston 2009) or even ‘Woven Learning’ to a model of learning spaces that are agencies of for our agents of change so they enhance, articulate and understand their own agency?

References
Bayne, S. (2004) Smoothness and Striation in Digital Learning Spaces. E-Learning, Volume 1, Number 2, 2004. https://bit.ly/2qBNg6W
Carr, J. (2017) Student transitions and liminal spaces. LSE: The Education Blog. https://bit.
ly/2H6m6iV
Cuthell, J.P., Cych, L., & Preston, C. (2011) Learning in Liminal Spaces. Paper presented at “Mobile learning: Crossing boundaries in convergent environments” Conference, 21–22 March 2011, Bremen, Germany. http://bit.ly/2yx7cOs
Deleuze, G. & Guattari, F. (1988/2004) A Thousand Plateaus: capitalism and schizophrenia. London: Continuum. https://bit.ly/2H6Yc6S
Grellier, J. (2013) Rhizomatic mapping: Spaces for learning in higher education. School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. https://bit.ly/2qASM93
Hall, C. (2013) The impact of new learning spaces on teaching practice. Academic Development Group. RMIT University. Melbourne. http://bit.ly/2ygA0u5

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