ABSTRACT
At face value it might seem that we share understanding of what ‘typical’ learning events such as lecture, tutorial, seminar, actually mean and what kind of behaviours are expected from learners and teachers. Yet, insider stories show that these learning events mean different things to different people, and in different places. This chapter explores, not only the range of meanings attached to each of these typical university learning domains, but the confusion experienced by their participants when assumptions are unfounded and teacher and learner expectations conflict. Most of the stories in this chapter were gathered before the 2020 to 2021 Covid-19 pandemic forced school and college closures and demanded that both students and educators rethink their idea of learning events and learning spaces. Whilst many of the critical incidents here form a snapshot of experiences in real spaces, they also shed light on how we use learning spaces in general: our comfort zones as learners and teachers, the social pragmatics that make events work, the way we pick up clues about who should do what in each setting, and what happens when these comfort zones fail to be helpful.
