What Does a Learner Profile Really Do? (Hint: It’s More Than a Poster)

By Mel Evans, Co-Founder, The EduShift Collective

When was the last time a school report truly captured who a student is becoming? Not just their grades or attendance, but their passions, their problem-solving approach, their empathy, their resilience?

In a rapidly changing world, the way we define and measure success in schools must change, too. Enter the learner profile. Often mistaken as just another visual in the classroom or a page in a handbook, a well-crafted and lived learner profile is one of the most powerful tools for transforming education. But what does it really do?

A Personal Reflection: Where the Shift Begins

I’ve been there.

As a school principal leading a contemporary transformation across a P–12 setting, I spent a long time wrestling with where to ground our change. There were so many directions we could take, new pedagogies, future-focused skills, interdisciplinary models. But through deep thinking and collective reflection, I landed on one essential question:

What if our learner profile became the backbone of everything?

Why? Because a learner profile isn’t confined by age or stage. Whether you’re five or eighteen, it speaks to who you’re becoming, not just what you’re achieving. It crosses every aspect of school life, teaching and learning, co-curricular, staff development, because ultimately, we’re all learners in a school community.

Our learner profile didn’t arrive overnight. It emerged from rich, layered professional learning across the year. I led staff through provocations, discussions, and design sessions where we asked bold questions about the world our young people are entering, and the dispositions they’ll need to thrive.

We brainstormed, sorted, debated, cut, kept, and refined. We asked: What matters here? What does it look like in our context? What do our young people really need?

And once we landed on it, it changed everything.

The learner profile became our north star. It shaped the language of our classrooms, assemblies, and professional growth plans. It was embedded in our reporting, goal-setting, and curriculum design. Most importantly, it shaped our culture.

We began asking a powerful question before every initiative:

How does this develop a skill or disposition from our learner profile? If it didn’t… we had to pause. Reflect. And sometimes, boldly let go.

The Heart of a Learner Profile

What we value, we measure. What we measure, we grow.

A learner profile isn’t just a philosophy, it’s a framework for whole-school transformation, with roots in global research:

• OECD Learning Compass 2030 – Centres around “transformative competencies” such as creating new value, reconciling tensions, and taking responsibility.

• Learning Creates Australia – Champions the need for new credentials that value broader learner outcomes and purpose-driven education.

• International Baccalaureate (IB) Learner Profile – One of the most globally recognised examples of an embedded learner profile, used to shape teaching, learning and assessment.

Each of these frameworks recognises that capability, character and citizenship matter just as much, if not more, than traditional academic outcomes.

When a learner profile is embedded in school life, it helps learners understand not only what they are learning, but why, how, and who they are becoming through it.

Why It Matters in Contemporary Education

We’re not preparing students for a predictable world. We’re preparing them for complexity, ambiguity, and connection. The most critical capabilities for the future, creativity, collaboration, ethical decision-making, aren’t easily captured in a traditional grade book.

As Learning Creates Australia and other change-making organisations have shown, what we choose to measure sends a message about what we value. If we continue to focus only on literacy, numeracy and exam scores, we miss the full story of who a learner is becoming.

A strong learner profile helps bridge this gap. It supports growth in transferable skills, fosters learner agency, and helps students articulate their own journey.

Making It Real: From Poster to Practice

It’s easy for learner profiles to become pretty words on a poster. The real power comes when we bring them to life.

Here’s a simple but powerful model you can use:

From Words to Action: 5 Ways to Activate Your Learner Profile

1. Embed in Curriculum: Design units of learning that intentionally develop the capabilities in your profile. Use it as a curriculum-planning lens.

2. Reimagine Assessment: Use your learner profile to co-create rubrics, develop student self-assessments, and expand reporting beyond grades.

3. Make it Visible and Celebrated: Use profile language in assemblies, awards, newsletters, and conversations. It must be everywhere to become a part of the culture.

4. Align Staff Development: Your teachers are learners, too. Use the same profile for adult growth, coaching, and goal setting.

5. Lead with It: Use the learner profile as a decision-making filter. Ask: “How does this initiative grow what we value?” If it doesn’t, pause and rethink.

Final Thoughts: A Call to the Courageous

So many schools are asking: What does meaningful transformation look like?

Here’s my take: it looks like alignment between what we say we value and what we design, teach, assess, and celebrate. And the learner profile is one of the most powerful tools we have to build that alignment.

It’s not easy work. It requires courage, consistency, and community. But I’ve seen what happens when a learner profile is done right…and I’ve seen how it can shift culture, empower students, and reignite purpose.

It begins with a question:

Who are we helping our young people become?

And if you can answer that, boldly and beautifully, everything else starts to fall into place.

Ready to Begin?

If you’re looking to transform your school and starting with the learner profile feels like the perfect way to begin, let’s connect.

At The EduShift Collective, we run bespoke professional development sessions (just like the ones Mel reflected on) to guide your staff in co-creating a learner profile that’s authentic, actionable, and aligned with your school’s unique context.

We believe learner profiles aren’t just tools, they’re cultural levers for meaningful change in a contemporary world.

📩 Curious to see if your current learner profile (or equivalent) is truly hitting the mark? Send us an email and we’ll share a short 5-minute self-audit to help you reflect and assess where you’re at.

Get in touch to explore how we can support your team to reimagine learning and lead transformation in your community.

🌐 www.edushift.com.au

📧 info@edushift.com.au