Current debates in European education increasingly emphasise the need to address diversity as a defining characteristic of contemporary classrooms rather than as a challenge requiring individualised solutions. This orientation questions homogenising pedagogical models and foregrounds the importance of methodologies capable of engaging with heterogeneity in learners’ cultural backgrounds, learning trajectories and modes of participation (Biesta, 2010; Ainscow, 2020; Florian, 2014). From this perspective, educational quality is closely linked to how pedagogical practices recognise and work with diversity in everyday teaching and learning processes, in line with the objectives of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).

Within research on educational diversity, pedagogical practice is increasingly understood as a central site for responding to learner variability. Rather than relying on technical or compensatory solutions, attention is directed towards methodological coherence, classroom organisation and professional reflection as key factors shaping participation in diverse educational contexts (Ianes & Zagni, 2024; Parrilla, 2002; Parrilla & Susinos, 2014). From this perspective, diversity is approached as an ordinary condition of educational practice, calling for flexible, context-sensitive pedagogical approaches oriented towards shared participation.

In this study, learning corners are conceptualised as pedagogical methodologies rather than as material or spatial arrangements. They are understood as intentional ways of organising learning processes, interactions and participation within the classroom. As a methodological approach, learning corners enable multiple learning pathways and forms of engagement to coexist within shared activities, allowing learners to approach tasks according to their interests, competences and learning rhythms while remaining part of a common learning experience.

Research on innovative pedagogical approaches highlights the relevance of methodologies that promote collaboration, active engagement and the co-construction of knowledge (OECD, 2017; Oblinger, 2006; Woolner, 2010). When enacted as a methodology, learning corners foster interaction among learners, peer collaboration and shared meaning-making—processes that are particularly significant in heterogeneous classrooms. Such approaches support an understanding of diversity as a pedagogical resource rather than as a limitation.

Pedagogical methodologies addressing diversity are also shaped through professional dialogue and collective reflection. In this sense, the development of learning corners in this study is grounded in collaboration and co-construction between primary school teachers and university researchers. This partnership supports the joint design, implementation and reflection of pedagogical practices, enabling theoretical perspectives and classroom experience to inform one another and contributing to context-sensitive methodological development.

By supporting differentiated participation, collaborative learning and reflective practice, learning corners contribute to educational approaches aligned with the aims of SDG 4, promoting equitable and meaningful learning opportunities in diverse classrooms. This paper explores how learning corners function as pedagogical methodologies for engaging with diversity in a primary school context, with particular attention to collaborative co-construction between schools and the university and to how pedagogical design shapes participation in heterogeneous classrooms.

This paper presents an exploratory collaborative project developed through a school–university partnership in a public primary school characterised by religious, linguistic, cultural, functional and socio-economic diversity. The study was conducted at the public early childhood and primary school “CEIP Joan Fuster” located in Manises, in the province of Valencia (Spain). The project was implemented over two academic years (2023–2025) and adopted a qualitative, participatory research design inspired by collaborative and practice-based approaches to educational inquiry (Kemmis, McTaggart & Nixon, 2014; Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009). Learning corners were initially introduced as a pedagogical initiative in early childhood education at the school and were subsequently extended to all primary grades through a process of collective reflection and adaptation. This vertical implementation—from early childhood education through all years of primary schooling—enabled the examination of pedagogical continuity and variation across age groups. The scaling-up process was supported by regular meetings with teachers, the involvement of the whole teaching staff, and sustained dialogue between school practitioners and university researchers. This collaborative structure fostered shared decision-making in the design, implementation and ongoing revision of learning corners. The project was guided by principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which informed the methodological design of learning corners across all educational stages. Activities were conceived to offer multiple means of engagement, representation and expression, enabling learners to rethink, adapt and recreate tasks according to their interests, competences and learning rhythms. In this sense, learning corners functioned as pedagogical methodologies supporting flexibility, learner agency and differentiated participation within shared classroom practices. Data were generated through systematic classroom observations conducted in early childhood education and across all primary grades. Observations were supported by co-constructed observation instruments developed collaboratively by teachers and university researchers. In addition, iterative reflective dialogues with teaching staff were carried out throughout the project. The analytical framework addressed five interrelated dimensions: spatial organisation, materials, activities, interpersonal relationships and inclusion. Data collection and analysis followed a cyclical logic of design, enactment and reconfiguration, enabling continuous reflection and methodological adjustment. Particular attention was paid to how pedagogical practices aligned with UDL principles across different educational stages and to how collaborative professional dialogue contributed to the refinement of methodologies oriented towards diversity.

The findings indicate that learning corners contributed to notable shifts in classroom practices and participation across educational stages. Students increasingly demonstrated autonomy in task selection and time management, particularly in upper primary grades, alongside spontaneous peer collaboration and dialogic interaction. In sixth grade, learners incorporated values of exploration, self-regulation and autonomous learning into their engagement with activities, reflecting the development of more self-directed learning dispositions. These patterns align with European research emphasising the role of flexible pedagogical approaches in fostering learner agency and engagement in diverse classrooms (OECD, 2017; Hattie, 2012). Motivation increased when activities were open-ended, creative and multimodal, supporting meaningful, multi-level learning processes and opportunities for sense-making and task reinterpretation (Oblinger, 2006; Fenwick & Edwards, 2010). At the same time, persistent tensions emerged. Spatial constraints limited accessibility in some classrooms, materials remained largely structured, and activities were often weakly differentiated—particularly in lower grades—sustaining reliance on teacher validation and restricting exploratory learning. The interpersonal dimension proved critical. While cooperation, respectful communication and shared decision-making increased, challenges persisted in autonomous conflict resolution and in the participation of quieter students. From an intercultural perspective, uneven recognition of learners’ linguistic and cultural resources reflected challenges widely discussed in European inclusive education research (Banks, 2015; Ainscow, 2020). Inclusion thus emerged as a transversal but unevenly realised dimension, highlighting the need for more explicit strategies addressing accessibility, multilingual practices and culturally responsive pedagogical design. The collaborative nature of the project supported collective reflection, professional learning and shared authorship of pedagogical change. Overall, the findings suggest that the transformative potential of learning corners lies not only in classroom organisation but in their capacity to support participatory, equitable and culturally responsive learning processes within diverse European primary school contexts.

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