Norm? Power? Neutrality? – Critically and Diversity-Consciously Shaping Educational Spaces
You shape spaces every day – not only physically, but also through language, routines, and attitude. In this unit, you look behind the façade of apparent neutrality and recognize that every educational space is shaped by norms and power relations. You will learn how to act in a discrimination-sensitive way, take responsibility, and make your pedagogical everyday practice more inclusive – together with the people you work with.
Warm up
Imagine you are entering an educational institution for the first time.
You do not know anyone and are unfamiliar with the routines and customs.
– What do you notice?
– Which signals show you whether you are meant and addressed?
– What would help you feel safe, welcome, and able to act effectively?
Learn
The Space Is Not Neutral
Spaces as Mirrors of Social Norms
Spaces in educational institutions are never neutral – they reflect social, cultural, and institutional norms. Wall displays, furniture arrangements, notices, rituals, or access controls subtly communicate which bodies, languages, topics, and lived realities are desired – and which remain invisible.
Example: A school with the guiding principle “Diversity makes us strong,” but with only images of white figures on the walls, conveys a contradictory message – especially to children with experiences of racism.
Invisible Routines and “Normality Traps”
Many routines appear self-evident: for example, that all children are punctual, that parents understand written information, or that quiet work is a sign of concentration. Yet this apparent “normality” is culturally and socially shaped – and privileges certain groups.
Example: A child with auditory processing difficulties is repeatedly admonished to “not be so loud,” even though their behavior makes sense from their own perceptual perspective.
Power in Space, Gaze, and Control
Who decides what is displayed? Who designs the space? Who is allowed to change something in the classroom? Who determines seating arrangements, proximity, or opportunities for retreat? These, too, are questions of power. Spatial design and interaction say a great deal about whose perspectives are considered as shaping the environment.
Example: A daycare room with rigid rules about spatial order gives children hardly any opportunities for appropriation or individual design – self-efficacy remains limited.
Pedagogical Implications
- Design spaces dialogically: together with children, young people, and colleagues - Make implicit expectations visible: What counts as “good participation”? Who is measured against it? - Represent diversity at all levels: images, languages, materials, forms of expression - Reduce structural barriers: visual accessibility, orientation, sensory needs, multilingualism
Now it’s your turn:
Reflect on your own educational space (daycare, school, social space, project group)
- Which rituals, greetings, seating arrangements, wall designs, etc. apply there? - For whom are these self-evident, and for whom are they not? - Which unwritten rules exist? Who was involved in developing them?
Dive in 1
After recognizing in the first part that educational spaces are never neutral, the focus now turns to you and your professional role. Neutrality is often considered a sign of professionalism – yet especially in pedagogical everyday practice, non-positioning can stabilize power relations. This section invites you to critically question the ideal of neutrality and to examine the actual impact of silence, restraint, or “objectivity.” This is not about blame, but about responsibility and room for action.
Is professional = neutral?
Find out more and read
Finished?
Reflect together with your buddy:
- Which power relations are maintained through “non-positioning”? - Which children feel protected by this, and which are left alone? - What could a responsible professional attitude look like?
Transfer 1
Engaging with the concept of neutrality does not end with theoretical considerations, but touches your own attitude and practice. This section gives you space to take an honest look at your professional actions and to reflect on your own experiences, uncertainties, and patterns. You are invited to notice blind spots and to view your previous decisions in a new light. The aim is to gain clarity about where and how you would like to show a more conscious professional stance in the future.
Write down for yourself – preferably also in exchange with your buddy:
- What does “professional attitude” mean to you? Which implicit values are embedded in it for you? - In which situations have you remained silent yourself, even though you perceived injustice? Why? - Which “blind spots” do you recognize in retrospect in yourself? - In which pedagogical context would you like to take a more conscious position in the future – and what do you need in order to do so? - Which concrete words, gestures, or interventions could you use in the future to show your stance? - Which support structures (for example further training, collegial consultation, supervision) could help you feel more confident?
Reflect
Plan a concrete change for your professional environment:
Choose an area (for example morning circle, conversations with parents, notices, rules in the group room). Reflect: Which implicit norms are at work there? Who feels seen – and who does not? Develop an alternative design – together with colleagues, children, or parents. Document initial feedback and derive the next course of action from it. Share your process within the team – as a contribution to a learning, discrimination-sensitive practice. Plan a small presentation or photo documentation in order to involve other team members and encourage reflection.