Thornburg’s cave, campfire, and watering hole theories to characterise a learning spaces layout was a new concept to me that had been around for quite a while. I understand the principles of the theory, but wonder about its applicability, when reading and researching further in the real world of teaching. I currently work in a library space that is slowly reducing in size due to decisions that were implemented prior to me starting there. There are barely room for the books along with some seating let alone to designate areas for different types of reflection (a point I made when submitting my library refurbishment plan at Uni – lesson learned there: do not present real world scenarios, just feed back to the markers, unrealistic, overly positive scenarios laden with theory, regardless of it working in the real scenario or not).
This also got me thinking about classrooms in general. I agree that these theories are best demonstrated in flexible spaces such as libraries where zones, furniture, and space can be best utilised, but they may fall short in a classroom situation. This was confirmed when I overheard some teachers at a conference in Hobart speaking about campfires which made me lean into their conversation further. Both were from high fee private schools (which made me think this might have been why, as a classroom teacher in government schools up to this point, I had not heard of Thornburg’s theories) and both were lamenting the idea that they could not possibly achieve the cave, campfire, and watering hole in their classrooms on a permanent basis. They recounted only ever seeing campfires in classrooms in their respective schools.
So, now in a short space of time I had encountered the theory and real-world discussions of the theory at work. I had the feeling that maybe I was being too negative about my own personal situation in a limited space and reflecting on the limitations of a secondary school classroom space.
Question: Can we really set up a campfire near our cave, with a close by watering hole?
I have been reflecting further and know that I could do this in a physical space, but in my own way. By this I mean, not always following rules set by others – I recall reading that a campfire must be set up for the whole class to visit at once. This is achievable, but then leaves little room elsewhere in a classroom for the other zones. Perhaps desks can be rearranged from inward facing arcs to individual desks in lines for private cave functions. Watering holes can be achieved using groupwork activities or peer to peer discussions or reviews.
Digitally I see this being modelled through my Uni course with content presented as readings and at times videos: campfires. Sometimes those campfires even become live ones with the rare Zoom meeting. Watering holes are shown through interactive posting on the discussion boards. Caves are also demonstrated with personal blogs where individual reflecting is encouraged. There are the equivalent versions of this on the school scale, many of which were utilised during lockdowns in the COVID19 pandemic. Personally, I saw two versions of this on the digital side working in both remote NSW and Metropolitan Sydney. In Broken Hill there was limited students who came to the campfires or engaged in watering hole discussions. Much of this was due to limited access to technology and the disinterest in the whole process from home. I feel the same with online learning with Uni when you are just given text to read on your own and that’s that – so I understand why there was limited engagement. In Metro Sydney, there was a higher degree of participation in campfire zooms or digital worksheets posted online, but the engagement was still half-hearted at best. Outside of COVID19 lockdowns, these spaces work best when there is still face to face guidance, so even though there are caves, campfires, and watering holes online, they seem to work best in the physical environment.
Thornburg, D. D. (2004). Campfires in cyberspace: primordial metaphors for learning in the 21st century. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 1(10)