A Relational Approach to Learning Environments: Learning from Pacific Wisdom

Abstract

A relational approach focusses on connections between things, assuming that all things exist in relatedness. In this article, attention is given to the relationship between innovative learning environments (ILE) as described in literature, and elements of the field of Pacific education. In order to investigate this relationship, I take a layered approach, attending to five relational matters. First, I ask how relationships are configured between key elements within ILE thinking. Second, I examine what the literature of Pacific education says about how relationships can be understood. Third, I investigate the relational space between ILE thinking and Pacific Education. Next, I describe some aspects of three innovative Pacific educational spaces. And finally, I seek to learn from these deliberately configured educational spaces. The inquiry trajectory grounds discussions of literature and theory in innovative practice, a significant move where the intent is to offer support for innovative educational spaces that might be beneficial to Pacific (and other non-majority) students.