MANOSPHERE PD — EMMA PRATT

Untangling the Manosphere is a professional learning prototype designed to help school staff understand online misogyny, recognise its impact in schools and respond safely and proportionately.

01 OVERVIEW

A professional-learning prototype within a five-module course for understanding and responding to the manosphere in Australian schools.

Untangling the Manosphere in Australian Classrooms is a self-initiated professional-learning project for teachers, support staff and school leaders.

ROLE

Research synthesis · Learning architecture · Instructional design · UX/UI · Scenario design · Resource development

STATUS

Prototype developed · Five-module course mapped for future production and validation

FIVE-MODULE COURSE ARCHITECTURE

02 THE PROBLEM

Online misogyny can surface in classroom language, peer behaviour and school culture.

Educators need help recognising what is happening without making assumptions or responding alone.

Problem framing diagram showing how the manosphere issue was analysed and translated into staff capability needs and a recommended response. — PROBLEM FRAMING: MANOSPHERE

03 THE AUDIENCE

The course supports classroom teachers, support staff and school leaders.

Learner profiles shaped the language, scenarios, navigation, role boundaries and practical resources.

Learner profiles for classroom teachers, support and wellbeing staff, and school leaders, alongside workplace context including time pressure, digital context, role and authority, and the need for a shared response. — LEARNER PROFILES + WORKPLACE CONTEXT

Seven learning design implications including time-poor delivery, plain language, transferable principles, role clarity, proportionate response, shared responsibility and immediate resources. — DESIGN IMPLICATIONS

04 THE LEARNING APPROACH

The course follows a clear capability pathway.

Learners build understanding before moving into judgement, action and shared school practice.

Five-module course pathway moving from understanding the manosphere through recognition, triage, safe response and whole-school safety. — FIVE-MODULE COURSE

Walkthrough of the first part of the five-module professional-learning course. — WALKTHROUGH OF COURSE

Walkthrough of the later modules in the five-module professional-learning course. — WALKTHROUGH OF COURSE

Capability progression across the five modules, moving from foundational understanding to systems thinking and whole-school implementation. — CAPABILITY PROGRESSION OF COURSE

Learning progression framework showing the development of capability across the course. — LEARNING PROGRESSION FRAMEWORK

Learning architecture model based on Merrill's First Principles of Instruction, moving through problem-centred learning, activation, demonstration, application, integration and confident practice. — LEARNING ARCHITECTURE MODEL Modelled on Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction

Learning to performance support pathway showing module learning, guided practice, takeaway resources, point-of-need use and transfer to workplace practice. — SCAFFOLDED APPLICATION: SETTING LEARNERS UP FOR SUCCESS BEYOND THE SCREEN

05 FROM EVIDENCE TO DESIGN

Research findings were translated into the course design.

Research findings were translated into learning outcomes, realistic scenarios, feedback and practical resources within the course design. Each design decision can be traced back to an identified learner or workplace need, and to the learning architecture used to construct knowledge.

Google Sheets evidence tracker organising research sources, evidence types, key findings and design implications for the professional-learning course. — EVIDENCE TRACKING — GOOGLE SHEETS

FigJam research synthesis board connecting evidence, learner profiles, module ideas, course resources and early learning-design decisions. — RESEARCH SYNTHESIS — FIGJAM

FigJam learning map showing outcome alignment, module journeys, accessibility planning, curriculum decisions and screen-level learning development. — LEARNING MAPPING — FIGJAM

Figma course blueprint translating six evidence streams into the five-module Untangling the Manosphere professional-learning architecture. — EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS → COURSE BLUEPRINT — FIGMA

Illustrative triangulation and validation pathway combining synthesis findings, educator consultation and specialist consultation to develop a whole-school response framework. — EVIDENCE TRIANGULATION + VALIDATION

06 THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Module 1 turns a complex topic into a clear, visual learning sequence.

The experience uses concise explanation, editorial visual models and progressive sequencing to build understanding of the manosphere, why it can appeal, how influence travels and what this can mean in schools.

Module 1 learning sequence showing six sections from understanding the manosphere through prevention, followed by the Spot the Shift guided-practice activity. — MODULE 1 — SCREEN-BY-SCREEN LEARNING SEQUENCE

LEARNING IN PRACTICE

Each stage changes what the learner is being asked to understand.

01 MAP THE ECOSYSTEM

Organise a fragmented online ecosystem into one understandable model.

The first stage introduces distinct communities, overlapping beliefs and shared narratives. Visual organisation helps learners see relationships between ideas rather than encounter terminology as disconnected definitions.

Module 1 screen explaining distinct manosphere communities, the online spaces they occupy and the shared beliefs connecting them.

02 EXPLAIN THE APPEAL

Explain why content can feel persuasive without assuming belief or intent.

The learning then moves from definition to motivation, showing how belonging, validation, guidance and edginess can make content appealing. Interest or exposure is kept separate from assumptions about what a young person believes.

Module 1 screen explaining belonging, validation, guidance and edginess as reasons manosphere content can appeal to young people while distinguishing appeal from agreement.

03 CONNECT TO SCHOOL CONTEXT

Translate online influence into observable school-context patterns.

Classroom examples show what staff might actually notice, while the influence model connects everyday interests, algorithms, peers and social context. The design makes pathways visible without presenting exposure as proof of belief.

Module 1 screens showing how manosphere ideas can appear in Australian classrooms and how everyday interests, algorithms, social context and other pathways can influence exposure.

04 MOVE TO ACTION

Move from understanding the issue into evidence-informed school practice.

The final stage shifts from explanation into prevention, support and safe response. Learners see that recognising a pattern is only the beginning and that effective action depends on clear roles, follow-up and shared responsibility.

Module 1 screens translating evidence into whole-school prevention principles and a safe school response sequence.

07 PRACTICE + ASSESSMENT

A multi-phase assessment sequence moves learners from recognition to response.

Before the final activity, learners consolidate best-practice guidance through school discussion questions, a printable information pack and links to current external resources. Spot the Shift then holds one scenario constant while progressively increasing the judgement required.

Course transfer resources including guided school discussion questions, an information pack, policy and best-practice resources, jurisdiction guidance and links to further reading. — PREPARE FOR TRANSFER

SCENARIO DESIGN

One scenario supports deeper, progressively scaffolded judgement.

Learners work with the same two posts across four linked decisions. Keeping the context stable reduces unnecessary switching between cases and allows each step to build on the judgement made before it.

01 — RECOGNISE THE HARM

Distinguish ordinary confidence and belonging advice from content containing a harmful gendered claim.

02 — UNDERSTAND THE NEED

Identify the legitimate need the message appeals to, such as belonging, connection or validation, without treating that need as evidence of harmful belief.

03 — PINPOINT THE SHIFT

Locate the exact point where familiar self-improvement language becomes a harmful generalisation or gender hierarchy.

04 — APPLY A SAFER RESPONSE

Transfer the analysis into school practice by choosing a response that acknowledges the need, challenges the harmful claim and keeps support available.

Close-up of the Spot the Shift scenario comparing an ordinary confidence and belonging message with a message containing harmful gendered claims. — ONE SCENARIO — TWO MESSAGES

Spot the Shift question one asking learners to distinguish an ordinary confidence message from a post containing harmful gendered undertones. — 01 — RECOGNISE THE HARM

Spot the Shift question two asking learners to identify the legitimate underlying need the harmful message appeals to. — 02 — UNDERSTAND THE NEED

Spot the Shift question three asking learners to pinpoint where self-improvement messaging becomes a harmful gendered generalisation. — 03 — PINPOINT THE SHIFT

Spot the Shift question four asking learners to choose a safer school response that acknowledges the underlying need, challenges the harmful claim and maintains support. — 04 — APPLY A SAFER RESPONSE

FEEDBACK DESIGN

Immediate feedback scaffolds each layer of judgement.

TARGETED FEEDBACK

Structured response options allow feedback to be specific, consistent and available at the point of decision.

PROGRESSIVE SCAFFOLDING

Each response explains the reasoning the learner should attend to before the next layer of judgement is introduced.

REFLECTION + TRANSFER

Open-ended reflection sits within the school discussion and transfer resources, while the formative activity keeps feedback immediate and focused on the skill being practised.

Close-up of Spot the Shift feedback explaining why a response is appropriate and what distinction the learner should attend to. — IN-THE-MOMENT EXPLANATORY FEEDBACK

08 SAFETY + ACCESSIBILITY

Safety and accessibility are built into the learning experience.

The prototype combines visible learner controls with trauma-informed, psychosocial-safety and accessibility requirements. Learners can control how they engage with sensitive material, while staff role boundaries, support pathways and predictable interaction patterns remain explicit.

Interface details showing Read Aloud, Content and Support, Quick Exit, progress indicators, next-section navigation, return to course map and persistent module navigation. — SAFETY IN THE INTERFACE

DESIGN STANDARDS

Learner control, staff safety and accessible interaction shape the system.

TRAUMA-INFORMED PARTICIPATION

Content notes · Quick Exit · support pathways · learner choice · no forced disclosure · clear role and escalation boundaries

ACCESSIBLE UX/UI

Keyboard access · visible focus · screen-reader labels · strong contrast · optional read aloud · transcript controls · alt text · responsive reflow

PREDICTABLE INTERACTION

Persistent navigation · clear headings · visible progress · no drag-only tasks · no timed tasks · no autoplay-dependent learning

Trauma-informed, psychosocial-safety and accessibility requirements including learner control, role clarity, privacy, cultural safety, keyboard access, screen-reader support, contrast, read aloud, alt text and responsive interaction. — SAFETY + ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

09 OUTCOME

Untangling the Manosphere gives teachers, administration and school staff a practical way to understand the manosphere, recognise how it can surface in schools and respond safely and professionally.

It brings research, school-based examples and response guidance into one learning experience designed to support student and staff safety and help educators uphold their professional and ethical responsibilities.

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