Learning To Learn Framework

OneSchool Global · CLIENT: OneSchool Global

Learning to Learn is an educational framework that unites pedagogy, curriculum, space, and technology across school campuses. The framework is inspired by the Dalton Plan and follows an Assignment, Lesson, Study model. Assignments are digital contracts that help students prepare core content. Lessons connect students with teachers, in person or online, for guided discussion and analysis. Studies take place in adaptive Learning Centres with quiet, semi collaborative, and collaborative zones. Teachers act as coaches, so students learn to plan and evaluate their own work.

Press Kit

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.

Dimensions & Packaging

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.

Tags

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

Production 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.

Design 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.

Project Duration

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.

Operation Flow

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.

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

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.

Image Credits

All images and video are copyright to OneSchool Global. See photo consent in external link files.

MAIN IMAGE | Image 1: Photographer Contemporary Classrooms, OneSchool Global
Northampton Campus, 2023

OPTIONAL IMAGE 1 | Image 2: Photographer Grant Ballot, OneSchool Global Auckland
Campus Learning Centre Opening Event, 2025

OPTIONAL IMAGE 2 | Image 3: Photographer Ben Williams, OneSchool Global Sydney
Campus Promo Photos August 2025, 2025

OPTIONAL IMAGE 3 | Image 4: Photographer Jefferson Grainger, OneSchool Global Melton
Campus Junior Learning Centre, 2024

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