Navigating the Third Space as Learning Space

Image: L'Epis Dore Patisserie and Cafe by mtcleroux

I love the idea of "the third space". According to a quick online search, the term originated in the writings of Homi K. Bhabha, who used it to describe an encounter between two cultures that requires both to explore a mode that is not native to either of them. The first use of the term I encountered, though, was architectural, as a place that is neither home nor work, but something different entirely (also known as the "third place"). Third spaces like parks, libraries, clubs and especially coffee shops provide refuge and play a big part  in the lives of city dwellers. 

When it comes to learning that is lifelong and life wide, third spaces are often the place where the action happens - increasingly on mobile devices. Thanks to today's mobile information technologies, killing time in a third space is no longer limited to reading the newspaper, either. An increasing percentage of mobile phones, and of course tablets, offer internet connectivity and even offline applications that can deliver an array of learning opportunities. From reading applications to news, converters, tutorials, quizzes, games and many more, mobile users really are spoiled for choice - if they choose to use their in-between moments and in-between spaces for learning, of course. Mobile learning - or m-learning, as it is affectionately known - has tremendous potential, but this depends very much on how (and whether) it is used. The relaxed atmosphere of our third spaces can be conducive to learning, but also to distraction. 

The real question here is whether mobile learning can follow the example of the third space. If it can become a mode that is neither work nor play, but something different entirely - and something we love as much as our geographical third spaces - mobile learning has inestimable potential across society. As for me, I am quite contented lounging in my third space of the moment, exchanging mobile learning and immobile languor as the mood suits. 

The image is of my third space of the moment, L'Epis Dore Patisserie and Cafe in Menlo Park, Pretoria. The Provencale garden, lined with lavender, and staff who have my order ready by the time I am seated, win my heart every time.