A significant change in the approach to education is currently taking place across the world. There is a growing recognition that the high value, creative industries that support the developed economies of the world require a different form of engagement with young people. The forms of subject based, timetabled provision delivered within the context of a classroom were highly suitable for equipping the empire with managers and workers but not so now.

Added to this, the expectations of young people have come a long way since Victorian times!

Many places of learning around the world have been experimenting with new ways of dividing time and space to create a whole new educational dynamic. Here are a selection of some of those interesting spaces.

West Hawaii Explorations Academy offers a project based curriculum mediated through marine biology. You can watch a 9 minute video of the school by clicking here. Questions you might like to conisder while watching the video are; What evidence is there that the school is securing positive learning outcomes? Are there any criticisms that we could raise? Is this model scalable? Could we organise a whole county, city or country around schools of this kind? You can vist the school website here

Ordrup Skole in Gentofte, Denmark demonstrates what can be achieved within the context of remodelling. The design responds to the various needs of the young people aged from 7-16. There are plenty of withdrawl spaces for individual work requiring concentration. Equally the design encourages cooperative working through a combination of colourful furniture and equipment and open spatial arrangements. The security of the learner is at the heart of this wonderful school.

The Saltire Centre - Glasgow Caledonian University combines elements that would normally be found in the library, ICT centre, student services centre and students' union. The spaces have been designed to encourage different learning styles and merge social and learning space in a very effective way. Even the coloured dynamic lighting changes through the day and the week to reflect different moods. The Saltire Centre has become the aspirational  learning space at the heart of the campus.

Hellerup Skole  this "enchanted labyrinth" of a school is full of light and creativity. It has been designed to provide pupils with autonomy and flexibility over where they choose to take their learning. Kitchens in each teaching area make the school feel more like a home and allow pupils to decide when to take breaks and make meals. If you haven't yet visited Hellerup then join the queue with the rest of the world.

Australian Science and Maths School - Adelaide    has re-cast the relationship between teacher and learner by blurring boundaries between spaces. This largely open plan school makes use of every available technology to make learning a collaborative experience. My visit confirmed that the young people attending ASMS were being transformed into confident, articulate and self-motivated learners.

TK Park - Bangkok is not a school but a community learning centre on the top floor of a shopping mall. The architects of this space understood the importance of branding and good design when selecting materials, signage, furniture and equipment. The space is bright and colourful with a climbing frame bookshelf and crash mats for spontaneous acrobatics! Not surprisingly TK Park is far from quiet but this does not deter serious learning taking place. During my visit it was a delight to see three generations of families choosing to learn alongside each other in this mixed economy of print and ICT media.

Reece High School- Tasmania  is a rare example of a building which has been designed hand-in-hand with a pedagogical vision. The learning spaces at Reece support a project or competency based approach which provides learners with authentic and engaging tasks. This school replaced a very traditional "bookish" institution dominated by timetable constraints and cellular spaces. The freedom that learners now enjoy to develop their talents and extend their interests is a delight to see. This transformation has been brought about by the vision of Principal, Sheree Vertigan and her dedicated colleagues (see interesting people)