More Than Spaces

When classrooms change, so must teaching. But for many educators, stepping into a newly refurbished “next-gen” classroom – or suddenly teaching online during a pandemic – raises an unsettling question: What exactly am I supposed to do differently here?

In More Than Spaces, Dr Shirley Tan draws on her doctoral research and the real voices of lecturers to explore how educators adapt their practice in times of change. From the swivel chairs and smartboards of flexible classrooms to the silence and black screens of online teaching, this book traces the lived experience of teachers navigating uncertainty, experimentation, and transformation.

At its heart lies the Change in Practice (CIP) cycle – recognising when old habits no longer fit, acknowledging the need to shift, and adjusting through small but powerful experiments. Alongside this process, three themes emerge as essential to lasting change:

Ownership – sharing the classroom with students rather than holding the centre.

Engagement – moving beyond attention to genuine participation.

Wellbeing – sustaining ourselves and each other through the demands of change.

Through vivid case vignettes (Ms T, Mr L, and Ms N), woven with colleagues’ voices, More Than Spaces shows that meaningful transformation in education is less about mastering tools than about reimagining practice – together.