How Hallways Support Learning: Rethinking the Spaces In-Between

When we picture learning environments, we often imagine classrooms. Desks, whiteboards, instruction, and structured lessons tend to define our understanding of where learning happens. But learning does not begin and end within four walls. Students move, think, process, connect, and regulate throughout the entire school building. One of the most overlooked spaces in that process is the hallway.

Traditionally treated as circulation space, hallways are designed for efficiency. Their purpose has been to move students from one class to another as quickly and safely as possible. However, research in environmental psychology, informal learning, movement science, and belonging suggests that the spaces between classrooms may play a far greater role in learning than we assume. If space shapes behavior, and research consistently shows that it does, then hallways matter.

Informal Learning Happens Everywhere

Learning is not confined to formal instruction. A significant body of research on informal learning environments demonstrates that knowledge construction happens socially and spatially, not only through direct teaching (Jamieson et al., 2000; Oblinger, 2006). Students build understanding through conversation, reflection, peer explanation, and spontaneous interaction.

Hallways are often the setting for these moments. A student may explain a math concept to a friend between periods. A group may gather to clarify instructions before walking into the next class. An idea introduced during instruction may continue to take shape in a brief exchange along the corridor. These interactions may be informal, but they are not insignificant.

When corridors are wide enough and intentionally designed to allow pause points, they create opportunities for these micro-moments of learning. When they are narrow and purely transitional, those opportunities are reduced. Research on informal learning spaces emphasizes that environments that support gathering, visibility, and interaction contribute meaningfully to student engagement and peer learning (Oblinger, 2006). Hallways, when designed with purpose, can function as extensions of the learning ecosystem rather than interruptions within it.

Movement Supports Cognition

Hallways are movement spaces, and movement is closely connected to cognition. Research in embodied cognition suggests that cognitive processes are deeply intertwined with physical experience (Barsalou, 2008). Studies on physical activity and brain function indicate that movement increases blood flow, improves executive functioning, and supports memory consolidation (Ratey, 2008).

Transition time between classes is not simply lost instructional time. It can serve as a neurological reset. Movement reduces cognitive fatigue, increases alertness, and supports emotional regulation, all of which prepare students for the next learning experience.

The design of hallways influences how restorative that movement becomes. Overcrowded, chaotic corridors may increase stress and sensory overload. More spacious, thoughtfully organized pathways can support smoother transitions and greater readiness to learn. When we understand that movement supports cognition, hallways become an important part of the academic rhythm of the school day.

Belonging Happens Between Classes

Belonging is one of the strongest predictors of academic engagement and persistence (Osterman, 2000; Walton & Cohen, 2011). Students who feel socially connected are more likely to participate, persist through challenges, and perform academically.

Many of the interactions that build belonging happen outside the classroom. Hallways serve as social ecosystems where friendships are reinforced, identities are negotiated, and small but meaningful affirmations occur. Environmental psychology research suggests that space influences emotional response and social behavior (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974). The physical environment can either encourage connection or discourage it.

Cold, crowded, and purely transactional corridors can heighten anxiety and communicate that lingering is unwelcome. More welcoming and flexible hallway environments can support connection and community. Belonging is not built only during structured classroom discussion. It is often strengthened in the passing conversations and shared moments that occur in the spaces between classes.

Space Communicates Expectations

Physical environments send signals about how they are meant to be used. Environmental psychology consistently demonstrates that spatial design cues influence behavior (Gifford, 2014). Layout, width, visibility, furniture placement, and acoustics all shape how people interact within a space.

A hallway with no seating and minimal visual interest communicates that its sole purpose is movement. A hallway with areas for pause, conversation, or collaboration communicates that interaction is welcome. These cues, repeated daily, shape behavioral norms over time.

The Clever Classrooms study found that environmental factors such as light, color, air quality, and flexibility measurably impact student progress (Barrett et al., 2015). While the study focused on classrooms, its broader implication is that the physical environment influences learning outcomes. Hallways are part of that environment. They contribute to the overall experience of school and the conditions under which learning takes place.

Hallways as Extensions of the Classroom

Contemporary pedagogy emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and student agency. Frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning and the OECD’s Innovative Learning Environments model encourage adaptable environments that support multiple ways of engaging and interacting.

Hallways can support these goals when they are viewed as extensions of classroom space. They can provide breakout areas for small group discussions, spaces for reflection during project-based learning, or overflow zones that reduce congestion inside classrooms. By expanding usable learning space without adding square footage, thoughtfully designed corridors increase flexibility across the school day.

When students are given choice in where and how they work, engagement often increases. Providing varied spaces within hallways allows learning to extend beyond the classroom threshold while maintaining visual and physical connection to instructional spaces.

Regulation, Stress, and Sensory Impact

Environmental stressors such as crowding and noise influence cognitive performance (Evans & Wachs, 2010). High-stress transitional environments can increase cortisol levels and reduce focus in subsequent tasks. For students who are neurodivergent or sensory-sensitive, chaotic corridors may be especially disregulating.

Thoughtful hallway design can mitigate some of these stressors. Clear pathways, predictable flow, soft edges, and areas for pause can reduce overstimulation and support smoother transitions. While hallways are not intended to function as primary instructional spaces, they do influence students’ readiness to engage in learning once they enter the classroom.

Learning Happens Everywhere

When the research is considered together, a consistent theme emerges. Informal learning supports knowledge construction. Movement enhances cognition. Belonging improves academic engagement. Environmental design influences behavior and performance.

Hallways sit at the intersection of these findings. They are not neutral spaces. They either support learning or work against it. Recognizing their influence invites educators and designers to think more intentionally about the spaces in between.

Learning happens everywhere, including the hallways that connect one classroom experience to the next.

References:

1. Barsalou, L. W. (2008). Grounded cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 617–645.
2. Barrett, P., Davies, F., Zhang, Y., & Barrett, L. (2015). The impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning: Final results of a holistic, multi-level analysis. Building and Environment, 89, 118–133.
3. Evans, G. W., & Wachs, T. D. (2010). Chaos and its influence on children’s development: An ecological perspective. American Psychological Association.
4. Gifford, R. (2014). Environmental psychology: Principles and practice (5th ed.). Optimal Books.
5. Jamieson, P., Fisher, K., Gilding, T., Taylor, P. G., & Trevitt, A. C. F. (2000). Place and space in the design of new learning environments. Higher Education Research & Development, 19(2), 221–236.
6. Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J. A. (1974). An approach to environmental psychology. MIT Press.
7. Oblinger, D. G. (Ed.). (2006). Learning spaces. EDUCAUSE.
8. Osterman, K. F. (2000). Students’ need for belonging in the school community. Review of Educational Research, 70(3), 323–367.
9. Ratey, J. J. (2008). Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain. Little, Brown and Company.
10. Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2011). A brief social-belonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes of minority students. Science, 331(6023), 1447–1451.