Abstract
The starting point of our analysis is to interrogate the proposal that the move towards innovative learning environments (ILEs), understood as change to both design and practice in schools, represents an important global trend, considering if or how ILEs map onto transnational reforms. Then, informed by the need to balance acknowledgement of global trends and narratives with local experiences and policy ‘enactments’, we use the literature of school reform and educational change to consider the possibilities for two contrasting countries, Uruguay and Finland, currently attempting change to the experienced ‘learning environment’. We focus on policy and related documents from each country, particularly their recently revised national curricula, tracing global influences on these. We then draw on observations and conversations with staff in schools that have been built or refurbished to include spaces and design features intended to support ILEs. Evidence is presented of apparent enthusiasm from designers and educators in both countries for the new approaches and a reasonably coherent narrative of what is being attempted. This appears, however, to overstate the change that is actually happening in most schools, where ILE features tend not to be used and the ‘classroom’ model of a teacher and class is still predominant. Our analysis traces the possible influences of these teacher experiences on local and national decisions, considering their possible impact on policy and even on the global narrative about ILE.
Context and implications
Rationale for this study: While innovative learning environments are increasingly promoted within global education reform agendas, their adoption is deeply influenced by local educational traditions, systems and professional cultures. This comparative study of Uruguay and Finland demonstrates that educators’ everyday practices significantly shape how such reforms are interpreted, negotiated and ultimately enacted within school settings.
Why the new findings matter: These findings challenge assumptions about the straightforward transfer of global education reforms and the ability of spatial redesign alone to drive pedagogical change. They highlight the central role of teachers in mediating policy through their everyday practices and professional norms.
Implications for policy-makers, researchers and education leaders: This research underscores the need to align spatial innovation with sustained support for pedagogical development. Effective reform requires attention not only to physical infrastructure and curriculum design but also to how change is experienced, interpreted and enacted within the daily realities of teaching and school life.