Dr Stephen Harris
Stephen is the Co-Founder and CLO (Chief Learning Officer) at Learnlife, Barcelona, Spain. Given an additional role since mid 2024, Stephen is also a Co-Founder and joint program partner of Learnlife Rwanda. He currently lives or works across three cities – Sydney, Barcelona and Kigali, crossing the globe frequently! Learnlife Barcelona has lighthouse studio-based hubs in Barcelona – with a focus on primary and secondary ages - pioneer spaces for lifelong learning, as well as an emergent online Hub.
Learnlife also provides consultancy and training to other groups or institutions that seek to establish similar hubs, or transform their existing pedagogies or physical spaces. Part of this involves the provision of workshops and modules to help educators be more adaptive to the evolving nature of learning and technologies. This is currently being provided across more than ten countries.
Learnlife in Barcelona features a series of creative studios designed to inspire learners through evidence-founded best practices from innovative schools around the world. Learnlife now has three Hubs operating out of the Barcelona project. The Learnlife Urban Hub is in the centre of Barcelona and has full and part time programmes for teenagers. The Learnlife Eco Hub for younger learners is located at Castelldefels, Barcelona - in a location immediately linked to the beach and the neighbouring forest. A third Catalunya based hub opened at St Pere de Ribes in 2024 - the Village Hub. Its initial focus is catering for middle years learning.
Learnlife Rwanda is a program aimed at adults – people who have completed university, or whose life experience has been disrupted by war or refugee status, and who wish to learn how to use their knowledge and experience as entrepreneurs starting up collaborative and scaleable businesses.
Stephen’s work with the Learnlife team has been recognised multiple times in globally focused HundrED (Finland) reports. Learnlife was selected among the Top 100 Global Education Innovations (2022–2023) for its Learning Paradigm, and featured in thematic spotlights for Stages of Autonomy (2024) and Pathways to Possibilities (2025) (https://hic.hundred.org/en/innovations/learnlife-the-elements-of-learning-innovation).
Stephen was the Principal of Northern Beaches Christian School (NBCS) from 1999 - 2017. Under his leadership the school gained international recognition as an organisation that was noted for leading pedagogic change in schooling. His design briefs for buildings have seen the creation of some of the most forward-focused learning environments in the world, enjoyed by the students and staff, and appreciated by thousands across the world (vimeo.com/242000597). The new buildings at NBCS, co-created with the architecture team from WMK, won the NSW Award for Educational Architecture (2016), the National Award for Sustainability (2016), the NSW Award for Sustainable Architecture (2016) and the Good Design Award (2016) https://wmkarchitecture.com/projects/community/education/northern-beaches-christian-school/>. The design features a 3,000 square metre “living” canopy that not only provides shelter but also generates energy, harvests rainwater, and cools the spaces below. This canopy covers a series of multi-level pavilion buildings that house interactive learning spaces, science laboratories, and student support facilities.
In 2005, Stephen founded the Sydney Centre for Innovation in Learning. His vision was to embed innovation into everyday school practice. In time Stephen focused his passion for deep and engaged learning into his PhD Vision as a Catalyst for School Change, completed in 2019 through the University of Technology, Sydney. His firm belief is that every person should love learning, and that it is the responsibility of schools or other learning institutions to relentlessly seek to engage students in their learning. No child should be excluded.
As a school leader, Stephen received recognition at the inaugural 2011 Australian Awards for Outstanding Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), as the Australian Secondary Principal of the Year (NSW). Stephen was also recognised in 2017 as a recipient of the prestigious John Laing Award by Principals Australia Institute (PAI) presented to exceptional school leaders. Stephen is a lifetime Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (UK). Stephen was acknowledged in Dubai (2024) for Outstanding Leadership in recognition for his contributions for education and learning.
“Schools must embrace a new paradigm and move away from what was once thought of as “school”.
Dr Stephen Harris has been in education for more than 45 years, with teaching experience across almost every grade from Kindergarten to Year 12. He has been in school and education leadership, and an educational thought leader, for over 35 years. Stephen studied to be a secondary English teacher, trained in primary teaching method, and has completed a Master of Letters in Australian Literature. Stephen followed a personal interest also completing an Advanced Certificate in Urban Horticulture, providing a taste of the TAFE system in Australia.
This new paradigm is one where learning is personal and collaborative, technology is adaptive, spaces are radically different to the traditional mindset, and a community built on positive relationships is at the core. Teaching and learning culture must be informed by global trends towards change in routines, expectations, perceptions, technology and organisation structures in the 21st century.
Separate to the co-founding of Learnlife Rwanda, since 2008, Stephen has worked extensively on a number of projects in Rwanda. This has seen him visiting the region over 35 times. Some of the projects have focused on developing the capacity for educational innovation in the villages and towns of the Northern Province, adjacent to the Volcanoes NP. More recently, Stephen has been capturing the stories of people he has met on his visits in a children’s book series, The Rwanda Village Tales. There are currently five books in the series, created in collaboration with Dolph Banza (Rwandan digital artist), Habumugisha (Barack) Jean (translator) and Michael Harris (book design).
