David Istance and Mariana Martinez-Salgado from OECD gave us an introduction to this subject. It belongs to a reasearch program called ILE. So far there are three publications planed:

1. The nature of learning (2010)
2. Innovative learning Environment (2013)
3. Leadership for 21:st century learning

David Istance first introduced us to ”the nature of learning principles”:

1. Make learning central, encourage engagement and be where learners come to understand themselves as learners.
2. Ensure that learning i social and often collaborative.
3. Be highly attuned to learners motivations and the importance of emotions.
4. Be accutely sensitive to indiviual differences including in prior knowledge
5. Be demanding for each learner but without excessive overload.
6. Use assessments consisted with its aim, with strong emphasis on formative feedback.
7. Promote horizontal connectedness across activities and subjects in- and out-of-school.

He stressed after presenting this list that all should be present. Not one or two.

Mariana Martinez-Salgado then gave examples of specific innovative learning environments from the 125 cases they have studied around the world. She had a model af basic elements in education as a base for the examples.

Learners
Innovations can include distant learners och parents as learner.

Content
Innovations can include 21:st century skills, languages, culture, sustainability and interdisciplinaries

Teachers
Profile of ”teachers” can be innovated by adding volunteers, learning proffesionals, experts, distant teachers and peer teaching.

Resources
Innovation can be through which resources or how they are used. For example digital resources and use of space.

Organisation & pedagogy
Innovation can be how you group educators and learners, rescheduling time and pedagogy and related assessment.

Learning leadership
This is about design to shape the learning environment and include for example vision of learning, change strategy and distrubution of managers, teachers, learners and partners.

Information & evidence about learning
This can include learning logs, portfolios, visability of teachers work, research and evaluation by the learning environment on the learning environment. Here we also find formative feedback about learning to the learning leadership and to learners and educators.

Partnership with higher education, companies, and cultural institutions.
This partnerships can be inside the pedagogical core or influencing the learning leadership.

Partnership with families and communitity
This can also be inside the pedagogical core or influence the learning leadership.

Partnership with other learning environments
As above: influence inside the pedagogical core or the learning leadership.