My Design Principles for Supporting Gender Inclusion in Education: Insights from Practice-Based Research

When I first began exploring how to better support educators in developing gender-inclusive mental models, I knew that creating resources alone wouldn’t be enough. The way support was designed and the values and assumptions embedded in it would matter just as much as the content. Through a practice-based, design-driven research journey, I came to understand that meaningful change in education needs tools that are not only informative but also relational and reflective.

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, these design principles I have been working with create a flexible foundation. My goal has been to provide guidance rooted in real-world needs while leaving space for adaptation. In this project, developing design principles helped ensure that the tools I created, such as the UNLEARN podcast episodes, remained aligned with the diverse realities of educators and gender-diverse students across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Here are my Design Principles

1. Flexible, Low-Barrier Formats

Educators are busy, and professional learning needs to meet them where they are. I prioritised formats like podcasting and simple websites that fit into their lives, since those are easy to access, flexible to engage with, and require minimal extra effort or technical knowledge.

2. Centring Lived Experience and Storytelling

Statistics and definitions matter, but lived experience changes hearts and minds. Throughout the UNLEARN podcast, I focused on sharing real stories, amplifying the voices of experts, educators, and community members. Storytelling invites empathy and reflection in ways that formal training often cannot.

3. Emotionally Safe and Brave Learning Environments

Discussing gender diversity can be a politically and emotionally sensitive topic for many educators. Supports need to create spaces where discomfort can be acknowledged, but where participants feel safe enough to stay engaged. Designing reflective questions, modelling vulnerability, and offering low-pressure engagement options helped create braver spaces for learning.

4. Co-Design and Relational Accountability

No single resource can fully meet the needs of all educators. Co-designing podcast episodes and gathering feedback from stakeholders helped ensure that the supports remained grounded in real experiences. It also reflected a deeper commitment to relational accountability, designing with, not just for, the communities impacted. 

How have these principles helped me so far? 

Working with these design principles has been transformational. Of course, most of these ideas mirror the gains and wisdom carved by those who have gone before me. But the principles I set for myself have worked as a steady anchor, especially when the work sometimes felt overwhelming or politically charged. Having a clear set of values built into the design process helped me stay focused on what mattered most: creating real, accessible, and human-centred support for educators.

The principles also helped me:

Stay adaptable: When unexpected challenges arose, the focus on flexibility allowed me to adjust resources without compromising the kaupapa.

Stay relational: Rather than seeing educators and guests as simply sources of information, I engaged with them as partners in learning and reflection, which made the UNLEARN podcast richer and more meaningful.

Stay grounded: In moments when external pressures or political tensions made the work feel heavy, returning to these principles reminded me why I was doing this mahi.

Stay humble: Co-designing and centring lived experience kept me open to surprise, growth, and rethinking my assumptions along the way.

Ultimately, these principles didn’t just shape the tools I created, they shaped how I approached the entire journey of supporting gender inclusion in education. And they continue to guide the next steps I am taking. I would say that these shaped me. As Shawn Wilson (2008) reminds us, “If research doesn’t change you as a person, then you haven’t done it right.” (p. 135).