Transforming spaces—Transforming pedagogy? Teacher mobility and engagement with students in open and flexible learning spaces

Open and flexible learning spaces challenge the traditional use of classroom spaces and interaction practices. To date, little research has been conducted on how teachers and students move in their learning spaces and organize and use them for teaching and learning. Drawing on multimodal conversation analysis and interaction geography, this study examines teachers' mobility and engagement with students when students work independently or in peer groups. This study presents a case analysis conducted in two distinct primary school classrooms, both of which feature open and flexible learning spaces. The analysis is based on video data of everyday classroom interaction. The key findings of this study focus on two salient activities associated with teacher mobility and use of space: (i) teachers' assistance of students seeking task‐related guidance and (ii) teachers' management of the classroom. Four representative examples were chosen to illustrate how these activities created or constrained students' opportunities to participate in learning activities. The focal teachers manifested somewhat different patterns of mobility, which had an impact on their interactions with students and the overall organization of learning and the learning space. The analysis suggests that teacher pedagogical practice is primary to and precedes the layout of the space.