The idea of the educator as a critical maker of learning and curriculum, referred to in my graduation research project, underpins my ambition to challenge and transform pedagogical learning environments into spaces of possibility by means of embodied making practices which open seemingly invisible structures and networks within a school.

It is a call for open approaches to teaching and learning situated in a post-digital space, which explore the role of temporal and spatial arts-based practices in the context of the pedagogy of inquiry. This non-linear, rhizome body of work invites the participant to negotiate a network of voices and echoes which are animated through a diverse and interconnected collection of field tactics, ranging from embodied and interdisciplinary learning to wayfaring and situational reflection. These tactics grew out of a practice which provides educators with a means of navigating the ruptures in everyday practice, disrupting the rhythms and flows of school through the lived experiences of young learners.

The underlying thread of the educator as an activist proposes taking action in the learning environment by positioning ‘making’ as a way of thinking. I examine an approach for educators to explore and critically make a curriculum based on the directions, impulses and curiosity of the children they work with, and I ask how these experiences lead to greater presence, voice and agency for students. This project was, for the most part, embedded within an international school environment, engaging with students aged between ten and twelve years old. Further research was conducted with educators working within various fields of study from both formal and non-formal learning institutions, such as libraries and museums.

The tactical pedagogies proposed in this research offer new orientations for critical inquiry and are particularly valuable to those interested in the critical making of learning and curriculum within contemporary networked society.

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