Application pack for schools and
learning communities to participate in
Learning Frontiers design hubs
Contents
The Case for Change ......................................................................... 3
What is Learning Frontiers? ............................................................... 7
Selection Criteria for Lab and Developer Sites ................................ 11
Expression of Interest form .............................................................. 12
Glossary of Terms............................................................................ 13
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Imagine a world where kids
actually want to learn…
The problem with schools
Across the developed world, a consensus is emerging.
Schools may have delivered in the past, but they’re
certainly not working for today – they were established in
a different age and for a different set of purposes.
Schools are not giving students the best chance to
compete and be successful in today’s global economy, or
helping them live their adult lives as responsible and
productive global citizens. We are not educating for a
digital age or a global society.
Our education system is also inequitable. The evidence
shows we’re not giving all our young people an equal
chance of achieving at school and when they leave. We
have failed to improve educational outcomes for many
Indigenous Australians, and students from low
socioeconomic backgrounds are under-represented
among high achievers and overrepresented among low
achievers.
“It seems like school is all
about exams – it’s all we
hear about and all anyone
cares about, but exams
are just about having a
good short-term memory.
There’s more important
stuff we need to know –
like when you go to a get
a job or go to university
you need to be street
smart, to be able to talk to
people and actually
engage in
conversation…but school
doesn’t teach you those
skills”
Year 10 student,
Government school, VIC
Our teachers are our greatest asset. What they know, do
and care about affects opportunities and outcomes for all
young Australians. Teachers work tirelessly to make a
significant impact on their students, but many feel
disillusioned and inhibited by the way schools and
teaching are currently organised.
The consensus is that schools need to change in
order to offer an education that is worth having.
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Creating successful learners
We know that education must equip all young people
with the knowledge, understanding, skills and values
they need to achieve and be successful. But it should
also instil the desire, skills and capacities to learn
continuously, so every young person can take
advantage of opportunities and face today’s (and
tomorrow’s) challenges with confidence.
Our nation needs young Australians who are
successful learners, confident and creative individuals,
and active and informed citizens.
If successful learners are lifelong learners who are
involved in and take responsibility for their learning,
then our task is to create an education system that
ensures all young Australians are deeply engaged in
learning – at school, and throughout their lives.
Creating engaged learners
Countries around the world, including the US, the UK,
Canada and Singapore, are focusing on engagement.
To become a world-class school system, Australia
needs to do the same.
Being ‘engaged in learning’ matters. Research
shows that engagement is linked to positive
learning and life outcomes, and can predict
children’s occupations as adults.
It also shows that motivation and engagement have a
higher effect on student achievement than numerous
other in-school factors.
The problem of disengagement
We know what disengagement in school looks like –
poor classroom behaviour, absenteeism and low
graduation rates are visible and undeniable. Or do
we? Think of the number of students you know who
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“We need to ask a few key
questions; ‘who owns the
learning?’ ‘Whose education
is this and for what
purpose?’ I wonder if kids
“Australian
really hadstudent
freedom of
performance
is closely
linked
choice, would
they opt
in to to
social
background.
ButWe
across
school?
If so, why?
thehave
OECD,
to behighly
braveengaged
and enter
students
from
poor
critical conversations with
backgrounds
tend
to outperform
young people
about
their
disengaged
students
from
schooling.”
wealthy
Middlebackgrounds.”
Years teacher,
OECD
PISA
2009,
Reading
Independent
school,
NSW for
Change· Performance and
Engagement across Countries
“In Queensland, one in four
“I spoke to a young man in year
Year 10 students selected
9 ...
just didn’t
attend,
anhe
image
of a prison
to he just
didn’t
bother
going
to school.
describe
their
school;
with
But
then
he
had
an
internship
62 per cent of boys ‘not
forcoping’
2 daysina English
week working
at a
doing
bike
repair shop.
likewise.”
Now,
in schoolSkills
we often
put
Dusseldorp
Forum
kids
out on work experience in
(2006)
the hope it turns them back
onto learning, but then on the
other days at school, his whole
curriculum, his whole learning
plan, was built around his
interests and his passions in
bikes.
And I spoke to him at some
length – I was a disbeliever –
and I walked away and thought,
well yes. He’s doing the science
p.4
of bikes, he’s doing the maths
of bikes, he writes stories about
bikes, and he did social history
about how bikes began. And
that was the hook.”
Chris Bonnor, Big Picture Australia
behave well and get good grades, but who leave school ‘turned off’ learning – maybe for
life. These students are visibly achieving, but are invisibly disengaged. They are
engaged in school but not in learning. Many lack a sense of direction, struggle to cope
with further study or employment, and fail to achieve their potential in the longer term.
The reasons behind disengagement are varied and complex, and too often,
disadvantage and disengagement go hand in hand. But the evidence indicates that
when disadvantaged students are engaged, they perform better than their more
advantaged peers. And, while social, familial and personal factors are significant,
variability between schools shows there is much teachers and schools can do to
stimulate engagement.
Engaging disadvantaged students in learning is key to achieving equity
and excellence in our schools.
But most schooling has fallen out of step with the outside world, and out of favour with
students. Students are disengaged from learning at school because school is
disengaged from their real world – a world that is fast-paced and rich in challenge and
collaboration, and that embraces social media and technologies.
We need to ask ourselves:
Are we giving all young people the chance to grapple with the complex challenges they
will face as 21st century citizens, employees, entrepreneurs…?
How are we helping our young people see that learning has value beyond their life at
school, that it takes place all the time, everywhere, and is of lasting relevance?
Isn’t deeply engaging all students in learning one of the most important things we, as
educators, can do?
When students are deeply engaged in learning, they:
 Care not just about the outcome, but also the development, of their learning
 Take responsibility for their learning
 Bring discretionary energy to their learning task(s)
 See the value in, and show a desire to, learn beyond the school walls and the
school day
Achieving widespread, deep engagement in our
schools
There is a body of research on motivation, engagement and learner mindsets to
draw on and learn from, plus the experience of innovative environments where
students and teachers are deeply engaged in and passionate about learning.
There is no easy solution, but with the right tools and support, schools can work
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together as creative communities that can respond to the challenge of
engagement and design their way to better practice.
Now is the time to act.
Learning Frontiers is being set up to help schools co-design and implement
professional practices that will support increased student engagement in learning.
The program will support schools to work together and with partners across Australia
to design learning, teaching and assessment that foster the deep engagement of all
Australian young people.
Because every young Australian deserves an education worth having.
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What is Learning Frontiers?
Learning Frontiers is an ambitious new initiative that will help schools to codesign innovative professional practices to increase student engagement in
learning and improve students’ life chances. It will support schools to work
together and with partners across Australia to design learning, teaching and
assessment practices that will foster the deep engagement of all Australian
young people in an education worth having. The initiative will contribute to a
shared vision of what learning should look like, now and in the future. We are
inviting all groups from the education community to express interest in
participating in this program.
Learning Frontiers is an initiative headed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and
School Leadership (AITSL) in collaboration with the Innovation Unit (UK). The
initiative will bring together clusters of schools and other organisations (design
hubs) to develop and implement a set of design principles for engaging learning.
A vibrant community of educators and those interested in education will surround
these hubs, supporting sites with advice and expertise, spreading ideas and
interpreting innovation to enable its application in new contexts. Throughout 2013-15
the project will:
 Provide opportunities and support for schools to develop powerful design
principles for engaging learning
 Work with communities of schools and organisations to use those design
principles to develop and implement new professional practices that engage
students in an education worth having
 Contribute to a shared vision of what learning should look like, now and in
the future.
What are design principles?
A set of design principles for engaging learning will be developed and refined by
project participants in a series of workshops with AITSL and the Innovation Unit.
These principles will be used to inform the development of new professional
practices in the areas of school leadership, technology, community, collaboration,
assessment, and learner agency. Provisional high-level design principles are: cocreation, personalisation, connectedness and integration1.
1
Innovation Unit for the Global Education Leaders’ Program, 2013, Redesigning education: shaping
learning systems around the globe, Booktrope Editions, UK.
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What is a design hub?
Design hubs will comprise lab
sites and developer sites. Lab
sites will work with design
partners to develop and
implement new practices and
undertake school/organisationwide integration of transformative
practices and structures.
Developer sites will support and
work alongside lab sites to
develop and trial a smaller
number of new practices.
Can any organisation be involved in design hubs?
Design Hubs will be made up
of a range of organisations
who are committed to
improving student
engagement in learning.
While many will be schools
and educational settings,
there will also be other types
of organisations who may
wish to join hubs, including:
 Universities and
TAFEs
 Parent groups
 Not for profits / NonGovernment
Organisations
 Professional
Associations
 Businesses
 Edutech companies
 Educational entrepreneurs
The Lab site in each Design Hub will be a school or other educational setting. The
shape and design of each design hub are not pre-determined, and hubs may evolve
as the project progresses.
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What will participating organisations commit to?
Lab sites must be prepared to undertake serious reform of their practice and
structures. They will commit to:
 Leadership of a Design Hub and their developer sites
 Implementation of an integrated model (applying all the design principles)
 Leadership buy-in (active whole-school participation in the project)
 Dedicated staff time
 Participation in the further development of the design principles
Developer sites must be prepared to work alongside a lab site to develop and trial
a smaller number of substantial new practices. They will commit to:
 Active collaboration with their design hub
 Implementation of components of the model (applying one or more of the
design principles)
 Leadership buy-in (active whole-school participation in the project)
 Dedicated staff time
What are the principles for hub formation?
• A key criterion for acceptance/nomination as a Lab site is the aspiration to
explore and model integration of the design principles
• Developer sites will join on the understanding that they would aspire to be in
a position to play the role of Lab schools in future years
What will we offer you?
Participating sites will be given the opportunity to lead and collaborate on the
development of innovative professional practices, and to contribute to a globally
significant education program.
Sites will be given access to:
• development and innovation tools
• consultant support throughout the project
• data-sharing platform to share and access resources
Sites will be supported with:
• data collection, research and evaluation activities
• brokering access to further support
• sharing practices with the wider education community
• innovation capacity building
• opportunities to connect with thought leaders and innovative practices from
across the globe
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Who can apply?
Any Australian school, organisation, association or network can express interest in
participating in a design hub. The key criterion is a deep commitment to leading
innovation in student learning to increase educational attainment.
Where can I find more information?
For more information about this initiative please visit:
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/learning-frontiers.html,
email: learningfrontiers@aitsl.edu.au or call: 03 9944 1271.
What do I need to do next?
If you, your school or community is interested in participating in a design hub, please
complete the following Expression of Interest form and email it to
learningfrontiers@aitsl.edu.au by 06 November 2013.
What happens next?
The Learning Frontiers team will consider EOIs, and a shortlist of schools and
organisations will be invited to discuss participation opportunities in more detail. This
may include a telephone interview and/or an on-site discussion with members of the
Learning Frontiers team.
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Selection Criteria for Lab and Developer Sites
Lab Sites
1. Leadership capacity to contribute significantly to the development of the design
principles, with an understanding of what practical application would comprise
2. Commitment to implementing and integrating the full complement of design
principles as co-developed by the Learning Frontiers community
3. Evidence of existing practice modelling one or more of the provisional design
principles (co-created, personalised, connected and integrated practices)
4. Experience in addressing issues of learner engagement in multiple ways
5. Leadership capacity for a Design Hub: experience of working in an effective
networked collaboration with schools and partners from other fields
6. Demonstrated dynamism and drive for change: commitment and determination
to meet scale of the challenge
7. Strong evidence of effective and pervasive professional learning culture
throughout the school
8. Evidence of distributed leadership and ability to commit to the program beyond
the Principal or system leader
9. Innovative capability: evidence of open, inquiry-focused culture
Developer Sites
1. Commitment to implementing at least one of the design principles as codeveloped by the Learning Frontiers community
2. Evidence of evolving practice in the area of learner engagement
3. Experience of working in an effective networked collaboration with schools and
partners from other fields
4. Demonstrated dynamism and drive for change
5. Evidence of effective and pervasive professional learning culture throughout the
school
6. Evidence of committed and energetic leadership team
7. Innovative capability: evidence of open, inquiry-focused culture
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Expression of Interest Form
I am interested in participating as a:
Lab site
Developer site
Either
Contact name:
____________________________________________________________
Email: ___________________________ Phone: _____________________
Occupation:
____________________________________________________________
Site Name and Address:
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Any other information you believe is useful (we welcome any forms of supporting
information, including images and video files):
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Your submission should include:



Part A: An outline of why your school wants to join the project; what you
would expect to gain and what you would hope to contribute (up to 500
words)
Part B: A statement addressing the Selection Criteria for a Lab or Developer
site (no more than 4 single-sided pages)
Part C: Completed Expression of Interest Form
Please email your full submission to: learningfrontiers@aitsl.edu.au by 06
November 2013.
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Glossary of Terms
The following concepts and terms are used in the context of this project.
Design Hubs
Design Hubs are a network of organisations and individuals who are committed to
developing and trialling innovative new practices to improve student engagement in
learning in order to raise educational attainment. Each hub will comprise a central
lab site and a number of supporting developer sites.
Design Principles
A set of design principles for engaging learning will underpin the practices
developed in this project. These principles will be interpreted and refined by project
participants as the project progresses. Provisional high-level design principles are:
 Co-creation: Practice recognises both adults and students as a powerful
resource for the co-creation of community, the design of learning and the
success of all students
 Personalisation: Practice builds from students’ passions and capabilities; it
helps students to personalise their learning and assessment in ways that
foster engagement and talents
 Connectedness: Practice makes connections with and uses real-world
contexts and contemporary issues; it is permeable to the rich resources
available in the community and the wider world
 Integration: Practice emphasises integration of subjects, integration of
students and integration of learning contexts.
Developer sites
Developer sites will support and work alongside lab sites to develop and trial a
number of innovative new practices. These practices will be developed through the
application of one or more of the design principles.
Innovative Practices
Innovative practices may be new practices or adaptations of existing practices,
designed to meet identified challenges associated with student engagement in
learning. Innovative practices will be based on powerful design principles for
engaged learning, and these practices will be transferable to a range of different
learning contexts.
Lab sites
Lab sites will develop, lead and trial innovative new practices through the application
of all of the design principles. Lab sites will take a leadership role work with design
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partners to lead the activity of design hubs, and will commit to undertaking
school/organisation-wide reform of their structures and practices.
Leadership Capacity
Leadership capacity refers to the perceived abilities, skills, and expertise of school
leaders, teachers, faculties, and staffs - most commonly when describing the
capacity of an individual or school to execute or accomplish something specific,
such as leading a school-improvement effort. The term may also encompass the
quality of adaptation - the ability of a school or educator to grow, progress, or
improve.
Student Engagement
The underpinning conceptual model for student engagement comprises behavioural,
emotional and cognitive engagement.
21st Century Skills
The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA
2008) identifies essential skills for twenty-first century learners – in literacy,
numeracy, information and communication technology (ICT), thinking, creativity,
teamwork and communication. It describes individuals who can manage their own
wellbeing, relate well to others, make informed decisions about their lives, become
citizens who behave with ethical integrity, relate to and communicate across
cultures, work for the common good and act with responsibility at local, regional and
global levels.
The Australian Curriculum includes seven general capabilities that are believed to
encompass the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that will assist
students to live and work successfully in the twenty-first century. These are: literacy,
numeracy, ICT capability, critical and creative thinking, personal and social
capability, ethical understanding, and intercultural understanding.
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Contact details:
03 9944 1271
learningfrontiers@aitsl.edu.au
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/learning-frontiers.html