Uppeldi og menntun - 01.06.2015, Qupperneq 76

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 24(1) 201576
leArning spAces And inclUsive prAcTices
field. The eight case studies in this book do, however, bring together these two aspects
in a way that is both helpful and accessible to researchers and practitioners alike. This
is perhaps most evident in the Finnish case which was “a collaborative action research
and development project” (p. 44). One of outcomes of this project is described thus:
That staff understood the meaning of multi-professional cooperation and imple-
menting it within the school was one of the most worthwhile outcomes. In the pre-
and primary classes, the teachers familiarized themselves with each other’s work
and came to appreciate each other’s contribution more. (p. 56)
It is also noted that bringing about change may be difficult enough, but maintaining
the good work may be even harder (e.g. p. 22). Case studies like the ones described in
this book may actually serve as support material for practitioners as focus is put on
the relevant issues and staff is encouraged to discuss and reflect on ongoing practices.
Why learning spaces for social justice?
There are obvious reasons why schools are important for social justice. First, an exten-
sive and important part of people’s lives takes place in schools. Second, schools are an
important preparation for the future, so that even after life in the school has come to
an end, the importance of that life still prevails and may do so for the rest of people’s
lives. Third, the relevance of school is tied more directly to the issue of social justice
as “educational policies and practices frequently exclude or devalue [ethnic minority]
pupils and teachers and position them within a deficit framework” (p. 5). And fourth,
schools may also serve as important instruments in eradicating unjust institutions and
practices.
Learning spaces are intended as locus for mutual learning. A school which is a
learning space is a place where both students and staff learn and where the institu-
tions themselves undergo changes as a result. In most of the case studies described
in the book, the staff involved changed both their way of working and their attitudes
towards their students, parents and each other. In one of the Norwegian studies,
which involved children from a refugee reception center, the researchers describe a
clear ‘before’ and ‘after’ stage.
Several interviews with staff members distinguished the time ‘before’ they started
to receive children from the reception center from ‘now’, when they felt more confi-
dent in addressing cultural and linguistic diversity. Their stories highlight a positive
trajectory as the staff, children, and majority-ethnic parents replaced their scepticism
and resistance with an everyday, practical approach. (p. 30)
Insofar as schools are important as basic institutions in a decently just society, the
present volume shows how essential it is that they be learning spaces in the above
sense, i.e. spaces where mutual learning takes place. Otherwise, they may remain or
turn into places of exclusion and devaluation.