“A collaborative workspace is an inter-connected environment in which all the participants in dispersed locations can access and interact with each other just as inside a single entity.” – YouTube

Trying to eliminate the traditional classroom altogether will never materialize. For one, people need a safe place to drop off their children, where they can receive care and education, while going out to make money and providing for families. Therefore, our focus should rather shift from the tradition of feeding information, to presenting a collaborative workspace, promoting inclusivity. A space where each one can learn, explore and discover at a pace comfortable to them. Collaboration and participation offers something tangible, a reference you can link information to, and not just words spoken by the teacher that will most probably be forgotten soon.

The type of learning environment will differ from age-to-age, accessibility, for special needs, etc. Foundation phase kids for example, need physical guidance, attention and companionship - their collaborative “workspaces” will most probably start off as being physical with lots of playing and room to explore. Over time it can evolve into sitting “alone”, working in the cloud and collaborating online. I strongly believe that you can mix technology with traditional education for younger children (not by focusing on technology as a main teaching tool but mere introduction and getting them accustomed to it) – Taking screen time into account: screen-time-toddlers-preschoolers

Over time, gradually teach the young brains how to use technology wisely. How to search the internet safely (you do not want you six-year-old to end up on the “dark web” by accident!). Teach them how to learn, what kind of questions to ask, and how to resolve issues themselves. By using collaborative workspaces correctly, you will cultivate a generation of thinkers, able to find solutions, not waiting for someone else to feed them the correct answers. “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime” – wiktionary

"Compulsory education differs from compulsory attendance” – wikiwand. In South-Africa we can open up a world of knowledge and possibilities to children that would otherwise not have had access to. Make education accessible to all, with informal workspaces, less pressure to “perform”, flexible time and room to explore and grow. Accommodating fast- and slow learners.

Having a school to send your child to, does not guarantee a quality education. Likewise, no school building should not mean failure. There are numerous challenges that children face daily: barriers-to-education – but we can bridge at least one gap by creating opportunities, giving more children a change of success!

Collaborative workspaces work! Informal-Education

Yolanda von Moltke