Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on New Trends in Teaching and Education
Year: 2026
[PDF]
Transformative Co-Agency: A Humagenony Framework for Neo-Educational Curriculum Design in ELT and Beyond
Kai Joubert
ABSTRACT:
In an era of rapid technological and societal change, educational curricula must adapt to current trends to remain relevant and proactively prepare learners for the future. This doctoral research proposal presents the Humagenony Framework, a conceptual and ontological model of curriculum innovation founded on the principle of Transformative Co-Agency—a synthesis of Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory (Mezirow, 1991) and contemporary constructs of social and technological agency. It redefines learning as a dynamic co-creative process among humans and intelligent systems, extending transformative learning from an individual act of reflection into a collective enterprise of becoming. Drawing on insights from theorists such as Vygotsky, Freire, Papert, and Moravec, this proposal posits that the transformation of education toward 2050 must integrate artificial intelligence not as a disruptor but as a co-learner and co-designer within pedagogical ecosystems. Methodologically, the research will employ conceptual modeling, hybrid mini-campus case studies, and narrative inquiry to explore how human–AI collaboration can enhance learner autonomy, teacher agency, and adaptive assessment. It is anticipated that when students, educators, and AI systems act as interdependent agents, classrooms become symbiotic ecosystems that can strengthen critical reflection, linguistic competence, and ethical awareness. In English Language Teaching (ELT) contexts, Transformative Co-Agency can reshape curriculum design by promoting communicative mastery through collaborative AI–human inquiry, aligning with competencies outlined in the OECD Education 2030 framework (OECD, 2018) and UNESCO’s Futures of Education agenda (UNESCO, 2021). Regionally, this framework could complement Thailand’s Education 4.0 vision (Puncreobutr, 2016) by offering a culturally sensitive pathway toward learner-centered pedagogy and sustainable innovation across Southeast Asia. By positioning the Humagenony Framework as both a theoretical advancement and a policy-ready model, this proposal argues that Transformative Co-Agency provides an ontological foundation for “neo-education” – one capable of harmonizing human creativity with intelligent systems to propel learning, empathy, and collective wisdom into the mid-21st century. In doing so, it aims to ensure that curricula remain strategically relevant and future-ready, aligning with global calls for education that is both human-centered and innovative.
Keywords: AI in Education; Co-Agency; Curriculum Innovation; English Language Teaching; Transformative Learning