Open Classroom: Reflections on Meaningful Experiential Learning in Public Space

Abstract

Despite its educational potential, public space has been largely overlooked in modern times as a setting for learning. This is due, in part, to a longstanding lack of recognition that urban environments such as squares, parks, streets, and public facilities can be transformed into open classrooms with considerable potential to stimulate cognitive and emotional development as well as social cohesion. This article aims to reflect on how public space can facilitate meaningful experiential learning, benefiting both the individual and society. This study adopts a reflective qualitative approach, grounded in theoretical review and the analysis of documented experiences, drawing on the contributions of Kolb, Freire, Lefebvre, and Jacobs. The results identify four fundamental pedagogical categories—spaces for civic participation, community service-learning, artistic-cultural spaces, and urban laboratories—whose underlying mechanisms foster the integration of theory, practice, reflection, and action within real-world contexts.