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Lumineer Academy, a Williamstown-based school, has been recognised as a world leader in education innovation.
The accolade was awarded by 'HundrED' – a Finland-based not-for-profit organisation, considered a global authority on the world's most influential education innovations.
Each year, HundrED presents 'HundrED Spotlights' - a compilation of the ten greatest innovations in education (supported by the Australian-founded Atlassian Foundation).
This year, the team collaborated with 'Education Changemakers', an Australian-based but globally focused group that enables teacher-led innovations. Both had identified Victoria as a global hotspot for education revolution.
Of the ten spotlighted innovations, Lumineer Academy was just one of only two schools seen to be reimagining education at a whole-of-school level.
The school’s recognition commemorates one year since the launch of ‘Luminaria’ – the educational philosophy that guides the school’s pedagogy and focus, co-founded by prominent startup investor, advisor, and entrepreneur Susan Wu, who has twice been named one of the most influential global leaders in technology.
Amanda Tawhai, co-founder and Principal of Lumineer Academy, was honoured to be in the same company as Geelong Grammar and outer-Melbourne family/teacher run school The Learning Collective as the only other schools featured.
“In education, our work is to shape human beings who go on to shape society,” Tawhai said.
“We can think of no greater issue or problem to work on that can universally benefit humankind.”
Tawhai added that the school aims to equip its students “to be prepared for any version of the future world, and to be highly capable and compassionate builders of that world”.
Of the ten spotlighted innovations, seven were ventures designed to be integrated into the classroom curriculum or school setting. These ranged from bullying prevention, greater maths engagement and a strategic student-teacher feedback mechanism to better the entire classroom experience.
Most of these concepts were engineered by teachers who have had first-hand experience with the failings of the current Australian education system and the urgent need for improvement.
Louka Parry, director of programs at Education Changemakers, said the school’s model sought to take “the best thinking from all over the world” and create a learning environment that activates students in a powerful way.
“Be it thinking from First Principles, embedding systems-thinking, creating ‘Makerspaces’, being a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) and a SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) school - how can you really do it all?” he said.
“It’s fair to say that the team at Lumineer Academy are having a pretty amazing go at doing just that.”