Invitation to Co-design the Humanacy Platform

OPEN EOI - Closes 7th July 2024

Calling all Kindy, Prep, Foundation, Reception, and Pre‑primary Teachers,*

We invite you to

Co-design a platform that helps all 4-5 year olds thrive

A new way to grow a trusted and collaborative connection between home and school

Co-designed with 100+ Teachers and 6000+ Children

*For Teachers delivering the first formal year of learning in each state, e.g. the Foundation Year in the Australian Curriculum.

Three graphical figures overlaid with leaves.

OPEN EOI - Closes 1st May 2024

Calling all Kindy, Prep, Foundation, Reception, and Pre‑primary Teachers,

We invite you to

Co-design a platform that helps all 4-5 year olds thrive

A new way to grow a trusted and collaborative connection between home and school

Co-designed with 100+ Teachers and 6000+ Children

What is it?

In Term 3, 2024, we will partner with 2 schools per state as part of the 'Humanacy' platform co-design process.

The Humanacy project is funded by a federal Department of Social Services (DSS) ILC Major Grant to support 'human' skills growth in young children and their caregivers.

The Humanacy platform seeks to support the Human Connection between home and school to help 4-5 year olds thrive and be ready to learn.

Bring your expert ideas and classroom experience to contribute to the creation of something truly effective from the ground up!

Are you a Foundation Year teacher who:

Wants to better engage with parents and caregivers.

Wants to instil a culture of trust and collaboration between home and school.

Is seeking ways to build intrinsic confidence and readiness-to-learn in your students, to set them up for their entire education journey.

Is passionate about education as a social equaliser and wants to see every child thrive.

Is interested in the potential of technology to inspire child-caregiver shared learning at home.

Experiences motivating our previous Co-design Partners:

"As a kindy teacher I spend a large part of my day managing emotional dysregulation in my class, sometimes the need is so overwhelming that I cannot deliver my day's lesson plans. I don't ever blame my students, but would really love a way to help the situation."

"I believe that since we came back to school after many lockdowns, many students have been challenged by working together and learning to fit in with others. We have had to almost start again and constantly remind students to work as a team, to listen and to be kind."

"We have a diverse community. We find that many of our students struggle with self regulation, this is an area of need for many students. Home stressors impact some children more than others, and this exacerbates the struggle. "

"As a school we are looking at whole-school and whole-community approaches that we can embed to create zen and calmness in our classroom, and having this reinforced at home."

What is the aim of the Partnership?

To build a relationship where you help us understand the social-emotional and access needs of your foundation year children and families.

To work over Term 3 (2024) to evolve our research-informed six-week engagement program that is tested in your foundation group.

To use your valuable feedback to quickly adapt the program to meet classroom needs during the testing period.

To incorporate your feedback and ideas into shaping the first version of the Humanacy digital platform.

An overview of the six-week engagement program

We are developing interactive puppets called the Wonderchums that tell engaging, multi-media stories that loop from the classroom-to-home and back again.

Each 'loop' focuses on a 'human skill' learning outcome linked to the ACARA general capabilities and foundational to becoming a strong learner.

One loop is delivered per week. We supply full lesson resources for you, with adjustments included.

Interactive animation, music and paper elements reinforce the loop connecting home and school.

Caregiver content is seamlessly and inclusively delivered in sync with the child's learning.

What is the commitment required?

School Leadership:

Identify a passionate foundation year teacher to participate.

Kindy/Prep/Pre-primary Teacher:

Note: It is important to have Leadership buy-in to participate in this partnership.

1X Welcome call (video conference, 30mins) to meet all Teacher participants and receive instructions on how to deliver the program to your students.

1X One-on-one Need-finding Interview (video conference, 30mins) to identify the needs of your foundation year class and School Plan Goals. We will also need to know the languages other than English that your students speak at home, and where possible aim to accommodate them.

2-hours of Professional Learning (interactive videos at your pace) aligned to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (delivered through a secure platform). You may wish to include other time assigned to this project in your Elective PD.

2X 10-min loop lessons delivered in class each week for 6 weeks. We supply all resources and support documentation.

1X 10-min check-in call with us after the loop closes each week (e.g. on a Thursday or Friday after school) so we can evolve and make improvements to the loops as we move through the program. Email, SMS, Phone, or Surveys are also possible as preferred. We ask you that you are willing to give candid feedback when you are confused or struggling, about what is not working, and what you'd wish to see instead.

1X Close-of-program one-on-one video conference call (30-mins) to summarise your insights and advice to us.

A closing online survey (10 mins) - quantitative.

Optional: Closing Celebration Zoom (30mins) to meet online with all participating Co-design Teachers and share your 1. Wins and 2. Insights.

Optional: You will have the chance to share ideas and insights in an ongoing manner with all participating Co-design Teachers in our professional learning discussion space.

And, we have a gratitude pack for YOU from us at Humanacy.

We are delighted to send you our 'Dash and the Inclusion Superpower' hardcover storybook.
A Wonderchums lanyard and character card.
A mini plushie of Onesie the Wonderchum.
Four strengths postcards.
Plus one bonus Dash book for you to gift to another Teacher friend, postage on us.
And a mountain of kudos and gratitude to YOU from us!

Gift pack with four children's books, one plushie, a lanyard, and four postcards.

What will each Teacher and School get out of this experience?

A chance to contribute to shaping an innovative platform that could positively influence the education and lives of Australia's diverse children.

The opportunity to be the voice for Australia's 4-5 year olds in Low ICSEA contexts.

A structured, easy-to-deliver and playful program to bring delight and connection to your Kindy students, right when they need it most.

The chance to deepen the engagement with families in your school community.

Professional Learning that covers inclusion, physiology, attachment, connection, and relational engagement drawn from academic research.

With some luck, together we will discover and refine a new way to enhance the home-to-school connection and help your 4-5 year olds thrive, now and into the future!

Submit your Expression of Interest here

Complete a 3-minute Expression of Interest (EOI) to indicate to us why you would like to be considered for the Term 3, 2024, Co-design group. We are working with 2 schools per state and territory in Australia.

Submit any questions or clarifications you have.

Shortlisted schools will be asked to choose a 15-minute time slot from our Calendar for a zoom Meet-And-Greet.

We will look forward to meeting you online and will be delighted to show you more of the six-week program and the Humanacy platform, as well as answer any further questions.

Important dates:

EOIs close midnight Sunday 7th July, 2024 (your local time).

Shortlisting has commenced and will be ongoing until the 10th of July, after which all schools will be contacted with an update.

We encourage you to submit your EOI early as conversations are underway.

Have a question?

Humanacy is the skills, behaviours and protective factors that enable a child to thrive -- in one’s inner world, in society, the broader environment, and in building a positive world. Humanacy is enabled through, ‘relational engagement,’ which involves building meaningful connections between children and the important people in their lives. This requires us to support children in learning and developing skills and strategies for kindness, friendship, courage, creativity, emotional regulation, imagination, teamwork, determination, playfulness, love of learning, communication, adventure, through relationship with us as teachers, and with caregivers, in a two-way collaboration between school and home. As teachers, you intuitively know that humanacy is key to flourishing for every child. Humanacy skills are important in and of themselves, but they are also critical to learning in every other area, particularly literacy and numeracy.

For this current (Term 3, 2024) Co-design series, we are specifically focusing on schools within the greater footprint of major cities, in all States and Territories of Australia, that have low ICSEA values, and although are mainstream schools (government, Catholic, independent), have a high proportion of children with additional needs that receive adjustments to support their access and participation in learning. We are keen to learn about your local families and your students in engaging with you and have funding to make linguistic, cultural and access adjustments to our resources.

All teachers shape children's lives. A relationship with a great teacher can have immense positive impact on the life course of a child. We call highly impactful teachers, 'Transformational.'

Transformational teachers are reflective and reflexive as they continually grow and share their practice. Transformational teachers examine their teaching practices and beliefs, hold an anti-bias and social justice orientation, are open-minded, build mentoring relationships, observe their peers, model their teaching in life, and demonstrate caring beyond what they teach, or at the least aspire to do these things. This teacher actively seeks to transform not only their students but also themselves through an ongoing process of critical examination and personal growth.

Transformational teachers encourage students to think critically, develop their own values and beliefs, and become agents of positive change in their communities. Overall, a transformational teacher goes beyond simply imparting knowledge and skills. They strive to create a transformative educational experience that empowers students and promotes personal growth, critical thinking, and social responsibility. Transformational teachers support children and families to flourish! You may be part-way on this journey, and that is great.

We would be delighted to work with you if this is what you strive for in your practice.

This particular Co-design program is designed specifically for foundation year classes in mainstream schools. The participating teacher may invite relevant teaching staff to participate as collaborators. At this time, we are not testing the platform with individual children or preschool groups. These will be future co-design sessions. If you'd like to stay informed, please join our fortnightly newsletters on our top page https://humanacy.ai

Good question! We are Dr Joanne Jakovich and a team of experts, creators, and technologists. Please see our About page for more details. We are a diverse collective of people passionate about seeing all children thrive. We are on a mission to develop innovative tools that help teachers and parents support children's Humanacy growth - the skills, mindsets, and protective factors that help children flourish in an ever-changing world. You can find out more about our fabulous team at the About link in our top menu.

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