Digital Education Lab – Cristelo Schools Group
How the Future Classroom Lab is inspiring Portuguese schools to organise their own Digital Education Labs
We know that space plays a key role in teaching and learning, but it is not only the physical environment that matters. What really makes a difference is creating learning environments where space, pedagogy and technology are intentionally and thoughtfully connected, enabling more dynamic, collaborative and meaningful learning experiences.
This space–pedagogy–technology relationship, which lies at the core of innovative learning approaches and is also the foundation of the Future Classroom Lab (FCL), highlights how physical spaces, teaching practices and digital tools must evolve together to foster pedagogical innovation and active learning.
In this process, flexible learning spaces, combined with collaborative and creative methodologies, play a decisive role: they encourage creativity, autonomy and experimentation, and invite both teachers and students to rethink how learning happens.
Building on these ideas — and drawing on the principles and resources of the Future Classroom Lab (FCL) — the first module of the MOOC “Digital Education Labs: Active Learning Scenarios” was designed and developed by the Portuguese Directorate-General for Education (DGE).
Now in its third edition, the course started on 21 October 2025 and is already involving over 1,200 teachers. It forms part of a national strategy to support schools, helping them to integrate Digital Education Labs (LED) into their pedagogical practice and to create environments that promote active, collaborative and creative learning.
In Portugal, all lower- and upper-secondary schools are equipped with Digital Education Labs, many of which have been set up as flexible learning spaces combining modular furniture, digital technologies and locally designed solutions that foster innovation in teaching and learning.
The MOOC follows a progressive structure:
In Module 1, participants explore key concepts such as Makerspaces, Learning Labs and the Future Classroom Lab itself, drawing on key European Schoolnet resources — Makerspaces in Schools: Practical Guidelines for School Leaders and Teachers, Guidelines on Exploring and Adapting Learning Spaces in Schools, Future Classroom Lab: Learning Zones and Pedagogical Concepts, and Guidelines in Learning Space Innovations (Novigado Project) — as well as the Future Classroom Toolkit.
This module highlights the learning space as an agent of pedagogical change, emphasising its role as a “third teacher” and the vital connection between space, pedagogy and technology.
In the following modules, teachers are invited to put these ideas into practice by exploring hands-on activities using the different areas and equipment of the Digital Education Labs, such as:
• 3D printing and digital design;
• arts and multimedia, using video studios and chroma key
techniques;
• programming with micro:bit and educational robotics;
• STEM activities, involving circuits, sensors, renewable energy kits and digital microscopes.
Beyond exploring the spaces and technologies, the course concludes with the design of learning scenarios, directly inspired by the Future Classroom Toolkit
from European Schoolnet.
Participants are guided through the main steps of scenario design and are encouraged to apply them to their own school contexts, creating learning activities that combine technology, curriculum and active methodologies.
Each module includes real examples from Portuguese schools, showing how Digital Education Labs are transforming teaching practice and encouraging collaboration across disciplines.
More than just a course, the MOOC has become a community of practice, where teachers from all over the country share ideas and reflect on the role of learning spaces as drivers of innovation and student engagement.
Useful links
LED Portal – Digital Education Labs in Portuguese Schools