School-based innovation of learning environments: a pilot project in six Italian primary schools

This paper investigates how schools can promote meaningful processes of learning environment innovation through an ongoing experimentation involving six primary schools in Lombardy (Italy) within the Co-ILE research project, funded by the Erasmus+ 2024 programme and coordinated by the University of Cyprus. The Co-ILE project involves thirty schools across five countries in a professional development pathway based on the “Train the Trainer” model and on the collaborative development of school-specific Action Plans aimed at rethinking educational spaces and teaching practices. Within this international framework, the Italian experience is characterised by the close collaboration between the Politecnico di Milano and the University of Milano-Bicocca, integrating architectural and pedagogical perspectives to analyse and support school innovation processes. The six participating schools, while geographically close, differ considerably in terms of local context, architectural layout, and organisational structure. These differences provide a valuable opportunity to observe how innovation processes take shape under diverse conditions and constraints. The paper presents the first outcomes of the experimentation as identified through focus groups, field observations, and the analysis of the Action Plans developed by the schools, highlighting both enabling factors and critical challenges within the process. The findings highlight how the transformation of learning environments extends beyond the physical redesign of spaces, acting instead as a catalyst for broader cultural and organisational change within schools. In particular, the experimentation appears to foster new forms of teacher agency, collaboration, and shared educational awareness.