The roots of the term "third space" are in postcolonial sociolinguistic theory. It refers to the merging of "first space" discourse that takes place in informal settings (home, community, peer networks) with the "second space" discourse that takes places in formal settings (work, school). This new space that emerges is the third space.
The Third Space Collaborative expands this concept to other facets of the educational ecosystem; it forms the basis of how we approach our work.
From how students should learn to how teachers should teach, debates about what is right, what is wrong, what is working, and what is broken are commonplace in education. Understanding the issue and developing a viable and sensible solution is often a much more complex process. The Third Space Collaborative respects and appreciates this complexity and works directly with educators to explore the pragmatic solutions.
We turn the concept of the third space into action and put students at the center of the work.