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ABSTRACT
This article addresses schoolteachers’ spatial work in the process of inhabiting and using a new school building. The study focuses on a historical case of a Danish open-plan school built in the early 1970s and shows how the teachers’ spatial work engages with questions of the organisation of bodies, sound, furniture and teaching aids. The article uses Tim Ingold’s notion of making – stressing the making of architecture, as well as pedagogy, as a continuous and never-ending process – and Karen Barad’s theory of agential realism to explore the teachers’ spatial work as part of the intra-actions of and mutual coming into being of school space, pedagogical ideas, teachers and pupils. Finally, the article analyses the transnational entanglements of the teachers’ spatial work through a discussion of the open-plan school as an architectural and pedagogical model found across the globe.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. For more information about this award, see: https://nohrcon.dk/vidensbank/kaaring-af-aarets-skolebyggeri/
2. A national magazine on architecture described how the central rooms at PLYS encouraged experimental teaching approaches and how the use of movable furniture gave each block the opportunity to “create an open-plan situation e.g. for team teaching”, but also allowed “to go for conventional classrooms permanently assigned to one form” (Fnu, Citation1975, p. 192).
3. Ning de Coninck-Smith historical study of the small island school “the Elbow” similarly combines Karen Barad and Tim Ingold’s thinking, but focuses on materialities and class (Coninck-Smith, Citation2017) Malou Juelskjær has done extensive work on contemporary school architecture using Karen Barad (Juelskjær, Citation2014).
4. Minutes from a staff seminar, undated. In the box ‘Building projects [Bygningssager] 1983–1986ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives. Judging from the descriptions of the discussions, as well as the title “The future structure of the school”, this seminar was likely held before or just after moving to the new building in 1973. Despite being labelled ‘1983–1986ʹ, much of the material in this box is from the 1970s.
5. Minutes from staff meeting 14.10.75, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
6. Minutes from staff meeting 16.02.77, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
7. Staff meeting 29.10.73, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
8. Staff meeting 12.09.73, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
9. Undated but found between papers dated 1974–1975. In the box ‘Minutes from staff meetings 1973–1977 [Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977] in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
10. Minutes from staff meeting early 1976. In the box ‘Minutes from teacher meetings 1973–1977 [Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977] in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
11. Minutes from staff meetings 29.10.73 and 19.11.73, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
12. Minutes from staff meeting 01.10.73, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
13. Minutes from staff meeting 07.01.74, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
14. Minutes from staff meeting 14.10.75, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
15. Minutes from staff meeting 01.10.75, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
16. Minutes from staff meeting 08.10.75, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
17. Minutes from staff meeting 19.11.73, 03.12.73, 04.02.74, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
18. Minutes from staff meeting 19.11.73, 17.12.73, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
19. In the box “Teachers” Council’, in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
20. Photographs were found in the box ‘Diverse [Miscellaneous] 1974–1983ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
21. Practical information sheet for teachers, August 1976, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
22. Minutes from a staff seminar, undated. In the box ‘Building projects [Bygningssager] 1983–1986ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives. See also footnote 3.
23. Application letter to the municipality, 15.12.77, ‘Building projects [Bygningssager] 1983–1986ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
24. Information sheet for PLYS staff 21.04.76, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
25. Minutes from meeting about school objectives 27.04.73, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
26. Minutes from meeting about school objectives 27.04.73, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
27. Application letter to the municipality, 15.12.77, ‘Building projects [Bygningssager] 1983–1986ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
28. Application letter, 12.02.76, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
29. Minutes from staff meeting about school objectives 30.03.73, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
30. Minutes from staff meeting about school objectives 11.05.72, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
31. Minutes from staff meeting about school objectives 11.05.72, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
32. Minutes from staff meeting 19.12.72, box ’Fælleskonferencen 1973–1977ʹ in Peder Lykke School archive, stored at Copenhagen City Archives.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Lisa Rosén Rasmussen
Lisa Rosén Rasmussen is associated professor of contemporary history of schooling at the Danish School of Eduaction (DPU)/Aarhus University, Denmark. In her work on educational architecture, school space and materialities of schooling, she deals with the intercrossings of policy, pedagogy and everyday life.