ABSTRACT
This chapter shares the story of a small regional school in southern Queensland, where the students were invited by their principal and teacher to redesign a school classroom built in the nineteenth century, to suit the needs of learners in the twenty-first century. This chapter is based on data gathered over a two-year period in 2011-2012. In this participatory action research project students and Kathryn investigated their own and one another's learning preferences engaged in design processes and used interviews, digital cameras, concept mapping software and collaborative charts to capture, share and reflect on their learning. Students in the class represented a wide diversity of sociocultural backgrounds. The author acted as a researcher, advisor and observer during three visits at the beginning, middle and end of the design project. Each visits the author audio-recorded interviews about the research progress with Emma and Kathryn and small group discussions with the 19 students who had given an ethical consent.
