Converting the Schoolyard Into a Learning Space: A Strategy for Public Education

Abstract

Technology and globalization have shaped the generation of students in the 21st century. However, actions to configure school space remain stuck in 20th century standards. This article describes a study that contributes with strategies of innovative pedagogies by exploring the use of available spaces in Brazilian public schools. The study involved teaching and learning school curricular subjects in the schoolyard through physical interventions that were designed using playground equipment. Despite the absence of spatial boundaries, usually made by walls in seminar rooms, the interventions polarized the distribution of students in the courtyard with no loss of pedagogical control. An implicit hierarchy was established in the relationship between teacher and students, since the teacher’s position did not differ spatially from the student’s position, offering freedom for interaction.