NEW LEARNING FOR CLASSROOMS, SCHOOLS AND SYSTEMS

This ten-day programme offers a comprehensive, research-rich and critically engaged exploration of New Learning as a transformative educational paradigm emerging in response to accelerated societal, technological and epistemic change. By integrating perspectives from the learning sciences, sociocultural theory, systems thinking, educational leadership and contemporary policy discourse, the course provides participants with a sophisticated analytical framework for understanding how the nature of knowledge, learning and educational purpose is shifting in the early twenty-first century. Building on a deep historical analysis of educational paradigms—from the transmissive models of the industrial era to constructivist, humanistic and sociocultural approaches—the programme interrogates the complex interplay between social change, school design, teaching practice and learner development. The course positions New Learning not merely as a pedagogical trend but as an overarching cultural and epistemological shift characterised by networked learning ecologies, expanding digital and AI-mediated knowledge practices, increasing demands for learner agency and self-regulation, and heightened attention to diversity, inclusion and wellbeing. Detailed attention is given to the multidimensional structure of New Learning, including its implications for knowledge construction, curriculum organisation, interdisciplinary learning, pedagogical design, assessment cultures, leadership models, and the emergence of schools as dynamic learning organisations capable of sustained professional inquiry and innovation. Across ten days, participants engage in a sequenced learning journey that moves from conceptual foundations to applied design, organisational change and practitioner research. In-depth examination of international case studies enables participants to critically analyse how diverse systems operationalise New Learning principles through structural redesign, collaborative professionalism, flexible learning environments and evidence-informed decision making. The course also foregrounds the role of digital transformation—especially AI-enhanced tools and hybrid learning ecosystems—in shaping epistemic practices and expanding the possibilities for personalisation, authentic inquiry and competence development. A central component of the programme is the cultivation of participants’ capacity to conduct practitioner research and engage with reflective, inquiry-oriented professional learning. Teachers are supported to design micro-research projects and pedagogical prototypes that link theoretical insight with the realities of their own classrooms and institutional contexts. Through structured peer dialogue, iterative design processes and individualised coaching, participants examine how school cultures, leadership structures and organisational routines either support or inhibit the aspirations of New Learning.