Learner Engagement Framework

Our program is built around two interlocking frameworks. The first is the Trillium Engagement Continuum — four phases that describe where a student is in their relationship with learning, not just what content they’ve covered. The second is the gradual release of responsibility, a teaching approach that moves from teacher-led to student-led as confidence and skill develop. Together, they shape what we ask of a student, how much support is visible, and how we sequence challenge.

The table below shows how the two frameworks work together in practice:

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Foundations
& Belonging

“How do I feel safe and curious again?”

I Do

Teacher leads – modeling and co-regulating, making the work visible. Student observes without performance pressure.

Teacher Role

  • Nurturer
  • Co-regulator

Student Role

  • Orienting

Discovery
& Exploration

“What am I interested in and how do I learn best?”

I Do ➜ We Do

Teacher coaches alongside. Student begins investigating with support readily available.

Teacher Role

  • Coach
  • Facilitator

Student Role

  • Voyaging

Application
& Creation

“How can I use what I know and practice in new ways?”

We Do ➜ You Do

Teacher mentors and steps back in turns. Student takes increasing ownership – starting with preferred areas, extending outward as confidence grows.

Teacher Role

  • Mentor
  • Co-creator

Student Role

  • Navigating

Integration
& Contribution

“How do I use my learning to make an impact?”

You Do

Student self-directs. Teacher steps back – available, but not driving. Independence is real, not assumed.

Teacher Role

  • Ally
  • Consultant

Student Role

  • Wayfinding

This journey isn’t linear, and no phase is permanent. A student can be “Navigating” academically and “Orienting” socially. A hard stretch, a transition, or a period of stress can pull a student back toward an earlier phase temporarily — that’s not losing ground, it’s information about what the journey needs right now. And in the “You Do” phases, we don’t chart the hardest course first. We start from where the student’s confidence already lives — their strengths, their interests — and build outward from there.

Read our Founding Head of School’s full blog post on the 2e Learner Engagement Framework here.