Historically, classrooms have been a space of rigidity and unchanging order. From the very desks we were assigned as ‘our space’ within the learning space, to the abuse of Indigenous peoples in Indian Residential Schools, to the frequent use of corporal punishment by teachers to maintain order. Over the past decade there have been numerous changes and strides for creating more inclusive and desirable experiences for students within the education system. As an example, the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD U) located in Toronto, has been a prime example of a historical institution taking action at 145 years old – with cluster hires of Indigenous and Black faculty and the introduction of more classes and curriculum with a decolonized approach. While the work is being done, there remains a gap in decolonizing education when thinking about the physical aspects of the post-secondary classroom. This MDes thesis explores how Speculative Design might act as a tool in creating decolonial discourse around the design of classrooms leading to more inclusive and desirable futures for students. The thesis attempts to (1) introduce and share concepts of Speculative Design and futuring of educational models in decolonizing the classroom at the post-secondary level; (2) to engage in participatory action research that offers interactive cases (positioned as ‘classroom mysteries’) for facilitating dialogue and responses, and (3) to consciously remove the ‘expert-non-expert’ power dynamics in gathering research data, and creative outcomes. The intersection of Speculative Design (imagination) and Action Research (action) methodologies allows for a more inclusive data collection approach that centralizes open dialogue and imagination confirming that the use of Speculative Design as part of the research process can be a successful tool in imagining and creating more desirable and inclusive spaces for students; and can create a space where critical dialogue around decolonizing post-secondary classrooms can occur.

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