This whole concept of "3rd space" associated with the Oregon school district referendum is a new one on us.
Our gut feel is that it's an ingenious marketing tool to allow architects to build something which costs a lot of money, but doesn't contain very much. How does one put a price tag on a concept?
It sounds really great. But what we're wondering is: "Is it really needed"? and "Can't we get the sane effect without spending millions of dollars?"
The Oregon FAQ tells us:
What is Third Space? Third space is a new phrase which describes space other than home or work where students and community members congregate for individual and group learning/studying, socialization and creative purposes. A good example of current "third space" is coffee houses such as the Fire Fly. In the education setting, libraries and student unions are examples of current popular third spaces.
Why is [Third Space] needed?
Delivery of curriculum is changing at the high school and will require that students have space for collaboration and on-line work outside of the classroom setting. We do not have that space currently. In addition, we do not have adequate space during lunch periods for students.
The new field house addition and front entrance creates the opportunity to develop a third space for students and community members between these additions and the existing high school. This space will also serve as a security transition between the new community facilities and the classrooms portions of the high school.
So....it's an open area lobby type setting with small tables ...right? How much can THAT cost? Well...you know architects....add in a water fountain, trees growing through the ceiling, and you start getting the picture.
We wondered though...is this some big west coast fad we've been missing out on?
So we did a little research.
We did find a 2005 Arts Education Partnership (AEP) publication entitled, "Third Space: When Learning Matters":
Third Space tells the riveting story of the profound changes in the lives of kids, teachers, and parents in ten economically disadvantaged communities across the country that place their bets on the arts as a way to create great schools.
We also found a presentation by Ken Zeichner of UW-Madison,"CREATING THIRD SPACES IN THE EDUCATION OF TEACHERS AND EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH" ,which provided the following references:
Gutierrez, K. et al. (1997). Putting language back into language arts: When the radical meets the third space. Language Arts, 74(5), 368-378.
Moje, E.B. et al. (2004). Working toward third space in content area literacy: An examination of everyday funds of knowledge and Discourse. Reading Research Quarterly, 39(1), 38-70.
Soja, E. (1996). Thirdspace: Journeys to Los Angeles and other real and imagined places. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Bhabba, H. (1990). The 3rd space. In J. Rutherford (ed). Identity, community, culture and difference (pp. 207-221). London:
Our take...
It kinda looks like this one is "out there", and by enclosing a large space between two parts of the school in brick, glass, and mortar, it just drives up the cost of the project.
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