About this resource

Life Ed commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to design, develop and facilitate Student Forums during Terms 1 and 2, 2021, with 444 student voices captured through 82 Student Forums delivered in 15 schools across 4 Australian states.The Student Forums were designed to talk to a diverse range of young people and hear about their challenges and concerns during primary to secondary school transition stages. Data collected in the Student Forums (ages 10 – 14 years) has provided Life Ed with a deeper understanding of contemporary issues students face in the middle years of school.

 

Student voice is embedded in the suite of resources developed by ACER, emagined and Life Ed. The Guide to Thrive provides educators with the tools to support their students to make a successful, healthy, socially and behaviourally positive transition from primary to secondary school by offering intervention strategies and tools.

Guide to Thrive includes three sections

  1. Teacher professional development modules (mapped to AITSL teaching standards). We recommend that teachers complete this first
  2. Practical classroom activities for Teachers (transforming research into practice). Embeds learning from professional development into practice
  3. Complementary resources for parents and carers. Supporting parents and carers to talk to their young people and how to gather necessary information

The Guide to Thrive will:

  • Deepen Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the issues facing young people in the transition to secondary school, based on insights from forums and research 
  • Build the capacity of teachers to support students to develop change management skills appropriate to students’ stage of development
  • Demonstrate the evidence base for a strengths-based approach to transition activities
  • Promote the importance of engaging parents/caregivers in the transition process
  • Provide practical, hands-on, Australian Curriculum aligned, strength-based lessons for teachers to implement with their students.  

The Guide to Thrive is informed by:

What Australian students say about transition to secondary school:  Final Report. 
This report includes:

  • The Literature Review and Environmental Scan of current Transition Program resources across Australia
  • 444 student voices across Australia captured through 82 Student Forums delivered in 15 school

Literature Review:

Best practice principles in the design and delivery of digital resources for teachers (PDF, 2.37 MB)
Finding your way

Tips for navigating and using the resources

  • This site is designed to be like a smorgasbord. You can use as many or as few resources as you like – choose what is relevant for you.
  • Resources are presented as 'books' and consist of a series of pages; use the 'prev page' and 'next page' links located at the top of the page to move through the resource.
  • Once complete, choose the 'What's next' prompt at the bottom of the page to move to the next resource.
  • Find resources grouped in collections in the footer, for example: classroom activities, introduction to transition.
  • Activities can be adapted according to teachers’ preferences and the needs of their students. Downloadable activities are in Word, PDF or PowerPoint so that you can edit them for your own needs.

Teachers may also consider how they want students to “keep” the activities they do in class, so they have them for reference at a later stage (at their secondary school or for future wellbeing reference).

Educators, Instructional Designers, Graphic Designers, Video Producers, Animation Artists, Audio and IT specialists, emagined was commissioned to deliver the resources in a creative and interactive way for audiences to explore, learn and share.
emagined Director: Carolyn Hammer
Executive Assistant: Gemma El Kazzi
Project Manager: Emily Murphy-O’Neill

Website
Creative Producer: Carolyn Hammer
Website Development: Jhuny Boy Borja
Illustration/Animation: Andrea Innocent
Graphic Design: Sarah Lamond

Content development and piloting
Australian Council for Educational Research: Petra Lietz, Shani Sniedze, Marc Kralj, Anna Dabrowski, Toby Carslake
28 practicing teachers representing 15 Australian schools, and 19 parents and carers representing 13 Australian schools across 2 states
 

Videos
Producer: emagined
Director: Kat Shearer
​Creative Technical Director: Andrew Piper
Cinematographer/Editor: Andrew Piper 
Camera Assistant: Simon de Lorm
Talent Agency: T&E Management
Illustration/Animation: Andrea Innocent
Graphics: Will Harvey-Jones
Filmed at Brazen Lot Studios, NSW
Off-site locations at Annandale and Newtown, NSW
Music: Royalty Free - Soundstripe

Talent
Change and Uncertainty - Presenter – Deeana Cheong Foo
Bullying Conversations - Presenters – Ollie Bailey-O’Reilly and Odessa Hamilton
Making New Friends - Presenters - Fletcher Kennedy and Deeana Cheong Foo
Parent Overview - Presenter – Mia Honeysett
Parent Checklist - Presenters – Joel Bishop and Zoe Zantey
Extra-Curricular Activities - Presenter – Luc Barrett 
New School Environment - Presenter – Mia Honeysett

Parent/carer Interviewing Child and Child Interviewing Parent/carer were filmed by real parents and carers and their young people.

Parents and carers interviewing young person
Student 1: Dash Tietzel
Parent/carer 1: Lea Riley
Student 2: Patrick Harvey 
Parent/carer 2: Rachel Thompson
Student 3: Ella Strong
Parent/carer 3: Cheryl Strong
Student 4: Jom Spencer
Parent/carer 4: Bill Spencer
Student 5: Lachlan Strong
Parent/carer 6: Lee McIver
Student 6: Zahra Hammer McIver

Young person interviewing parent/carer
Student 1: Patrick Harvey 
Parent/carer 1: Rachel Thompson
Student 2: Jom Spencer
Parent/carer 2: Bill Spencer
Student 3: Lachlan Strong
Parent/carer 3: Cheryl Strong
Student 4: Dash Tietzel
Parent/carer 4: Lea Riley
Student 5: Zahra Hammer McIver
Parent/carer 5: Lee McIver
Student 6: Ella Strong