OneSchool Global Is Honored with the Silver A' Design Award for Learning To Learn Framework in Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design

The Work

Project

Learning To Learn Framework

Function

Framework

Category

Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design

Discipline

Service Design

Industry

Education

Colors

Gainsboro, Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Silver and Dim Gray

Images

5

The Recognition

Laureate

OneSchool Global

Country

Australia

Recognition

Silver A' Design Award

Edition

2025 - 2026

Design ID

#177223

Credits

Team

Dr Selina Samuels, Mr Matthew Phillips, Mr Steven Fooks and Mr Mark McAlpin

Image Credits

All images and video are copyright to OneSchool Global. See photo consent in external link files. MAIN IMAGE |; Photographer Contemporary Classrooms, OneSchool Global Northampton Campus, 2023 OPTIONAL IMAGE 1 |; Photographer Grant Ballot, OneSchool Global Auckland Campus Learning Centre Opening Event, 2025 OPTIONAL IMAGE 2 |; Photographer Ben Williams, OneSchool Global Sydney Campus Promo Photos August 2025, 2025 OPTIONAL IMAGE 3 |; Photographer Jefferson Grainger, OneSchool Global Melton Campus Junior Learning Centre, 2024

Design Details

Unique Properties

The Learning to Learn Framework, L2L, is a system level design uniting pedagogy, curriculum, space, and technology. Inspired by the Dalton Plan, its Assignment, Lesson, Study model transfers responsibility from teacher delivery to student agency. Purpose built to operate across diverse curricula, regions, and campus sizes, it integrates collaboratively authored units, flipped learning, and adaptive Learning Centres to prepare students for the future by teaching them how to think critically.

Inspiration

The framework was inspired by Helen Parkhurst’s Dalton Plan for structured independence, John Hattie’s synthesis of effective practice, and Ron Ritchhart’s Harvard research on visible thinking. Designed to prepare students for a rapidly changing world through self-agency and resilience, it unifies 120 global campuses with a curriculum agnostic model. By reimagining teachers as coaches, L2L translates contemporary theory into a tangible framework, developing self-directed learners worldwide.

Research

This applied educational research explored student autonomy and cohesion across fragmented campuses. Objectives were to help learners plan, evaluate, and take ownership of their learning. We used participatory design and piloted Learning Centres in Australia and New Zealand. Data came from surveys, interviews, observations, and LMS analytics. Results showed greater independence, resilience, and engagement, and, ultimately, employability. Insights informed scalable design and global application

Challenge

The hardest challenge was reconciling a radical pedagogical vision with entrenched expectations. Teachers had to move from content delivery to coaching and students to self-management and reflection. No global precedent existed. Culturally, parents expected traditional classrooms. Externally, fragmented curricula, spatial regulations, and uneven technology complicated hybrid delivery. Overcoming these obstacles pioneered a model of scalable, student-directed learning with global relevance.

Realization and Technology

Developed through participatory design with teachers and leaders, L2L operationalised existing research. Guided by the Dalton Plan, assignments established digital contracts to foster student independence and timetables evolved to balance direct instruction with collaboration and opportunities for support and feedback. Learning Centres gained modular furniture for reconfiguration, glass partitions for enhanced visibility, and AV pods acoustically tuned to balance collaboration and focus.

Operation and Interaction

Lessons, where students connect with teachers face-to-face or virtually, are distinct from Studies, where students work in Learning Centres in focused, semi-collaborative or collaborative zones. Pods and library areas support tutorials, media creation, and reading, while teachers circulate as coaches, using structured guiding questions to prompt reflection, provide support and extend thinking. The design cultivates independence and critical thinking consistently across campuses globally.

Project Duration and Location

Research and design took place from Jan to June 2013, resulting in the Learning to Learn White Paper. Physical and digital pilot programs ran July 2013 to June 2014 in Auckland, NZ and Sydney & Illawarra, AU. The Global Teacher Academy was introduced in 2015, Canvas LMS adopted in 2017, and a global standard established in 2020. In 2024, construction of new purpose built Learning Centres commenced. Training and student focused messaging continues to embed the framework.

Specifications

Learning Centres follow precise global standards, scalable from 2–250 students. A centralised design director oversees compliance. Floor areas are 5 to 6 m2 per primary student, 7 to 8 m2 per senior plus 2 to 3 m2 for specialist spaces, and 11 to 14 m2 overall. Specifications include 6 to 12 m2 entry zones with 2.7 to 3 m ceilings, slip-resistant floors, acoustic treatments, and glazed partitions. Canvas LMS assignment templates and shared libraries further ensure consistent learning worldwide.

Keywords

Self-Directed Learning, Metacognition, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Learning Centre Design, Hybrid Learning, Teacher as Coach, Student Agency, Collaborative vs Individual learning