Learning spaces and materiality: embracing past and present when designing for the future

This chapter explores the intersection between spaces, materials, culture and learning, while problematizing the need to look at past and present when designing for learning. The chapter suggests that paying attention to the qualities of materials, and the ways these might influence learning, is best considered within an ecology of elements—as educators search for part-whole relationships and notice how multiple elements relate to one another and to learning activity. Drawing on the Activity-Centered Analysis and Design framework, the chapter discusses materiality within the context of a Māori marae and within contemporary spaces for learning.