Spaces of performance: a storytelling approach to learning in higher education

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to provide a framework for reflecting on how different ways of configuring spaces in higher education (HE) condition the possibilities of learning. Second, the purpose is to construct a storytelling approach for the configuration of such spaces. Design/methodology/approach: The paper’s conceptual purpose is achieved through a theoretical discussion of three concepts: performance, politics and storytelling. Findings: Learning in HE needs reconsideration in terms of what kinds of learning are made possible through the discursive and material configuration of the spaces of research and teaching. In particular, the focus to some extent should move away from the management and control of learning toward what enables learning. Practical implications: The literature on organizational learning and the learning organization comprise concepts, methods and tools that play different roles with regard to controlling, shaping and enabling learning. When the focus is on learning in HE, it is important to be aware of the tracks of learning these technologies enable. Social implications: The interest in managing and controlling learning is often problematic in relation to the potential of HE to produce new and innovative forms of learning. Originality/value: This paper introduces the term “spaces of performance,” which directs attention toward the material, discursive and relational conditions for learning. It also introduces a space of storytelling as a new principle for learning in HE.