What "images" of space do (pre-service) teachers hold, and in what ways does this influence their professional actions in educational contexts (cf. among others Matthes 2016)? To what extent are hierarchies, exclusion, and disadvantage in educational processes also spatially determined (cf. among others Echazarra & Radinger 2019)? And can learning architecture serve as a bridge to further develop the "grammar of school" (Tyack & Tobin 1994) in light of the challenges posed by the knowledge and information society of the 21st century?
Societal transformation processes and their changing demands on schools (cf. Klopsch & Sliwka 2020) also affect spatial reorganizations, as evidenced by the differentiation of virtual spaces, the increase of non-places (cf. Augé 1994), and the fragmentation of urban living areas. Against the backdrop of a re-figuration of (educational) space (cf. Löw & Knoblauch 2019), spatial reorganizations exist in a conflictual tension with current (school) spatial interpretations and patterns of use. From the few existing studies on the topic, it can be inferred, for example, that teachers still largely operate with a deterministic understanding of space (cf. Deinet 2007). For space to become a medium of change, it must first be grasped as a pedagogical category - yet this remains a desideratum in educational research and pedagogical practice (cf. Bentlin & Klepp 2021; Sesink 2014).
Within the framework of educational and professional biographical spatial research and based on a relational understanding of space, researchers at the chair focus on the research priority “Multicollectivity, Education, and Space,” which deals, among other topics, with the transformative potential of educational spaces, the corresponding roles of diverse actors, and opportunities for initiating emancipatory spatial practices in educational contexts.
