Shared activity building a connection
The common third as a social pedagogical concept and practice
Keywords:
The common third, activity, pedagogical relationship, workprocessAbstract
In this review text, we look at shared activity as something that can create a connection between an educator and an educated. In social pedagogical discussion, this kind of shared activity is referred to with the concept of the common third. During the past ten years, the concept has become familiar in the British social pedagogical discussion, but its roots are in Denmark. The Danish concept ”det fælles tredje” has been found in social pedagogical texts since the 1980s. We aim at strengthening the theoretical understanding of the pedagogical meaning of shared activity, by reviewing the most important old Danish texts about the common third. In addition to that, we present a case example of the common third in practice and show how working together can support interaction, create an equal pedagogical relationship and strengthen the participants’ agency.
