Renewal in Educational Spaces as a Relational Aspect: Making Way for a New Culture of Reasoning Innovation and Sustainability

Abstract

Educational spaces have long been situated in repressive, non-relational and detached conditions that have been damaging to the geopolitical, socio-economic, and environmental balance. The paper reports on the effectiveness of educational spaces when characterised by an ethical relationship between human and nonhuman elements as a collaborative measure to solve earthly problems. The purpose was to highlight the role of education in producing innovative, honest, and critical thinkers who can apply knowledge to navigate relational intricacies. Qualitative data was generated from literature and a purposively sampled respondent group of eight lecturers and twelve students in a South African university, using interviews and focus group discussions. Data was categorised and analysed into themes. It was found that a pedagogical encounter which enabled students to engage in activities that deepened their knowledge of how the world works in totality gave them opportunities to understand the balancing effect of relational aspects when solving problems. This study proposes a renewal in thinking about other beings and things in educational spaces toward understanding the relational interaction brought by scientific and technological advancements that impact on human and nonhuman agents. The implication is that the world needs people to become innovators, think holistically and build a synergy between things and humanity. The study proposes that educational spaces should develop consciousness and ethical behaviour to sustain the relationship between human and nonhuman agents, which has implications for innovation and new practices that will sustain the world.