Temporal, spatial and embodied relations in the teacher's day at school

Abstract

In this paper, we draw on a cross-cultural ethnographic study conducted in two secondary schools in Helsinki (Finland), and two in London (UK). In our analysis of everyday life in schools, space is not merely a backdrop to activities that take place, it also shapes processes and activities, and spatial relations are simultaneously temporal. Here, we follow teachers’ daily time-space paths in schools, from corridors to staff rooms to classrooms and breaks. We explore how spatial arrangements limit and control teachers’ movement and their use of time-space, examining how their bodies and emotions are implicated in this process. Whilst interested in the ebb and flow of power in the school in relation to student/teacher interactions, we wanted to move beyond a dichotomous conceptualisation of authority and resistance and the top down hierarchy of the official school, therefore, as well as processes of differentiation, those of connection and negotiation were also of interest.

Acknowledgements

The team of researchers included the authors, with Pirkko Hynninen, Tuija Metso, Tarja Palmu and Tarja Tolonen in Helsinki, and Kay Parkinson and Nicole Vitellone in London. The project in Finland was supported by the Academy of Finland.

Notes

1. Letters after extracts from teacher interviews refer to gender (M/F) and whether in Helsinki or London (H/L). FN refers to field notes.