Jo Tondeur - Vrije Universiteit Brussel

The First Teacher: 
Parents; primary caregivers who provide foundational learning experiences, emotional support, and early cognitive development 

The Second Teacher: Formal Educators
Teachers who deliver structured curriculum, facilitate learning experiences, and guide academic growth in institutional settings.

Learning environments as active contributors in educational practice can be understood as the ‘third teacher’

What is the problem here?

What do we know about the physical learning environment?

What do we know about the digital learning environment?

Let's find out!

The 'physical learning environment'

How do you like this space?

The software of a school

The hardware of a school (Lawn, 1999)

The social agency can be exercised relative to things and social agency can be exercised by things

"The space should reflect the pedagogy"

- Myers, 1993 -

Classrooms have become a synonym for education.

But that does not mean that we know many things about them”

(Braster, et al., 2011)

The most well-known physical space where formal learning takes place is still a mystery

What is the problem here?

What do we mean by

 a 'digital space'?

Be TPACK specific!

Digital storytelling tool

Case-based 
discussion of 
authentic scenarios

Intercultural communication theories

What is the problem here?

How do we bring the digital and physical learning environment together?

Integration before the GOT...

From classroom biographies: from 1960 -...

Digital technologies... in the physical space!

Combination axes

Innovative spatial solutions: with their own detailed fiches​

> Scenarios based on school visits, interviews with experts and literature​

Innovative spatial solutions

What is the problem here?

How do we move to online and blended learning?

Blended learning?

After the GOT?

Integrate?

Experience?

Activate?

Demonstrate?

Instruction

Coach

exercise

Collaborate

OR

OR

Station rotation/team teaching

What is the problem here?

Where's the third teacher?

Bringing spaces together

Designing Teaching and Learning Environments model

One case in detail

Underground

More examples?

What is the problem here?

Where's the fouth teacher?

Gen AI tools as the 4th teacher, contributing to teaching and learning processes in ways that extend beyond 2nd & 3th teacher roles

(cf. Katsenou et al., 2025).

Artificial intelligence

Where is AI in your learnong environment?

What is the problem here?

Jo.tondeur@vub.be  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jotondeur/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jo-Tondeur