The EARLY EMERGENT SKILLS phase is the typical preparatory phase of skill and knowledge development for learners who begin to identify basic ideas for combining of resoources towards production of objects or systemsThe Learner is expected to show principles of success based on understanding and identifying key context parameters to a project purpose and brief.

The UPPER EMERGENT SKILLS  can only be accessed via demonstrable and consistent achievements the UPPER EMERGENT PLAY phase of their development, where the demonstrated achievements presented evidence of relevant capabilities for the project task and context brief.

Distinguishing trait: starts to see and examine Links between traditionally dissassoated idea.

Begins to identify assoications between technology, ecology and humanity as an interdependent system (aka first signs of holism in technacy)

The Learner is expected to show principles of success based on understanding and identifying key context parameters to a project purpose and brief.

Identified by overtly expressing ideas through basic juxtapositions of concepts.

Distinguished trait: highly unlikley to be realised in the given paremetres of the project or learner's personal skills. 

The EMERGENT PIONEER is an 'enthusiastic beginner'. Identified by the lack of competence to apply in real time, any aspect of their ideas in a way that 'works' in an applied context for the purpose given. Nevertheless, they offer a significant dimension to a project team by challenging norms and assumptions. Often their 'failures' provide significant information for future successes otherwise not considered.

The EMERGENT PIONEER phase-domain can only be accessed via the EMERGENT CONSOLIDATION phase-domain of technacy development. The EMERGENT PIONEER cannot progress to the COMPETENT PIONEER phase-domain without soliciting access via COMPETENT CONSOLIDATION either personally or via a successful collaboration with someone that demonstrates technacy capability in the Competent-Consolidation phase-domain relevant to the purpose and applied context of the project-task.

EARLY EMERGENT PLAY includes dispondency or low interest to explore the qualities, functionality and properties of materials and tools including instruments and devices. 

EXAMPLE-1: Learners are expected to play, with no expectation or consistent display to be purpose directed other than self disovery play: set activities with materials and devices/tools of a tangible nature to explore their qualities, discover what tools work to transform the shape or joining of given materials, and to appreciate the tactile role of their own agency in seeing what works. They begin to use their body (eg hands) as first tools, to shape materials, or to measure or hold fast objects, even on digital displays.

EXAMPLE-2: Equally, a highly accomplished Architect or Furniture designer experienced in the applied context of East Coast Urban Australia would be expected to redress their capability via the Early Emergent Phasewhen the context or the technology is relatively new.  Typically, they also show in this phase a degree of 'giving up' and frastration, rather than exploring the charateristics to learn how the technology or material/digital object responds to actions.

The EMERGENT PLAY  is the typical starting phase for any learner whose background is as a novice or as a 'sceptic/despondent beginner' 

EMERGENT PLAY demonstrates engagement in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than for serious or practical application. Mimicry of solution norms usually proceeds inventive play and original ideas. Surreal/unfeasible combinations of clichés are typically proposed. Solutions "Use and feature everything" is commonly presented by the upper levels of EMERGENT PLAY.

EXAMPLE-1: Children are expected to play with materials and devices/tools of a tangible nature to explore their qualities, discover what tools work to transform the shape or joining of given materials, and to appreciate the role of their own agency in seeing what works.

EXAMPLE-2: Equally, a highly accomplished Architect or Furniture designer experienced in the applied context of East Coast Urban Australia would be expected to redress their capability via the Emergent Phase Domains if the task before them expects a functional solution in the applied context of Desert Indigenous Australia Communities.

Distinguishing feature: apprentice.

Formal vocational level education, or equivalent cultural peer review of accepted codified knowledge and techniques.

The COMPETENT SKILLS phase of development can only be accessed via demonstrable and consistent achievements in the EMERGENT SKILLS   and/or the COMPETENT PLAY phases of their development, where the demonstrated achievements presented evidence of relevant capabilities for the project task and context brief.

This is the normalised location for most learners and is typically identified by achievement of codified institutional or socially peer endorsed credentialing, for a specified range of contextual applications. Eg. Institutional (formal), or cultural (peer reviewed) credentialing to a relevant standards framework.

Not consistently achieveing upper Competent pioneer outcomes, though demonstrating many of those outcomes through the course of the project.

The COMPETENT PIONEER phase of technacy development can only be accessed via 'at least' sufficient COMPETENT SKILLS development that is contextually relevant to the project task. The COMPETENT PIONEER phase expects the learner to succeed in achieving project tasks where most of the knowledge and skills required draw upon known and codified methods relevant to the project context and purpose.

The task presents novel challenges that the learner has hitherto not had success or experience with achieving. Effective collaboration, communication and social skills are essential determinants, for project success.

The EARLY COMPETENT PLAY  can only be progressed via demonstrable and consistent achievements in the EMERGENT PLAY phases of their development.

This phase typically demonstrates codified, or specific knowledge driven testing using codified methodical, recorded, and reported experimentation involving relevant to the project brief to better understand the task and context factors. The reports are to have been peer reviewed/benchmarked as appropriate for the project context and brief.

The UPPER COMPETENT PLAY  can only be progressed via demonstrable and consistent achievements in the EARLY COMPETENT PLAY phases of development.

This phase typically demonstrates operational modelling and virtual representation with occassional reference to codified, or specific knowledge.  It is a purpose/ideas driven output task defined for the person by a project brief and by provided/pre-defined context criteria. 

Not consistently achieveing upper sophisticated skill consolidation outcomes, though demonstrating many of those outcomes through the course of the project.

The SOPHISTICATED SKILLS phase of technacy development can only be accessed via demonstrable and consistent achievement in the COMPETENT SKILLS phase of their development. Solutions to complex problems are based on known and consolidated competence or well codified methods.

The learner demonstrates modelling and simulation that is of such plausible standard that the information produced would be regarded by peers as a feasible reality, and where the learner is well skilled to realise their simulations as individuals, having consistently demonstrated COMPETENT SKILLS in a relevant area. The simulations evoke a collegial view that this idea is very likely to 'work' in the applied context.

A learner in Sophisticated-consolidation is expected to progress to the Sophisticated-Pioneer phase-domain where both the contextual drivers and the exact nature of the solutions are unknown and where the solution is of high impact risk if failure occurs.

Not consistently achieveing upper sophisticated pioneer outcomes, though demonstrating many of those outcomes through the course of the project.

The SOPHISTICATED PIONEER phase of technacy development can only be accessed via demonstrable and consistent achievements in the UPPER COMPETENT PIONEER and/or the UPPER SOPHISTICATED SKILL CONSOLIDATION phases of a learner's development.

Human Innovation Attributes: student is able to communicate well, think originally and critically, adapt to change, work cooperatively, remain motivated when faced with difficult circumstances, connects well with both people and ideas and is capable of finding solutions to problems as they occur, is highly guided by contextual operational parametres —in short, the individual presents an array of skills constituting a well-developed capacity for innovation

Project Purpose and Operational Context Parametres:  Project context requires a designed response that has to account for high complexity, risk or chaos.  Significant detail of ender user operational context must be addressed in final project outcomes.  eg may be the design of mega structures, space technologies, nano structures or solutions for socially complex end user environments. 

This Phase-domain in technacy development is very difficult to sustain as individuals contend with a high demand for CROSS-DISCIPLINE PROJECT collaborations, are tasked with generating new solutions for largely unknown or changing parameters and when collaborative success is achieved, the project or technology skills pioneered are reclassified down the technacy-innovation chart to the Competent-Skill Consolidation Phase-domain as they become normalised and domesticated into codified methods and systems.

This is a very high risk of impact and personal risk phase of project activity and so difficult for any individual to sustain. It demands high levels of cognitive abstraction, drawing on mostly 'fluid intelligence' and basic principles (rather than on prior knowledge, standards or experience) to work a project brief to actual success.

Validation is based on collective social exchange, extensive externally reviewed testing processes, and complex modelling and simulation.

Affective attributes are highly demanded of the learner who often has to contend with personal beliefs, values and ideas in order to progress a project successfully for the greater good.
Eg High risk, High Return projects at this level include: designing and mass producing the Air Bus, or the iPhone, or designing and constructing the Brooklyn Bridge, the Sydney Opera House or the International Space Station or the development of nano-technology and trans-human systems.

Expected to show independently researched and produced detail of designs that have numerous contextual variables identified and also accommodated with an evidence base to justify all aspects of the design.

While complex, little of the complexity is fundamentally new but the combination of many elements to the design clearly demonstrates coherance and synthesis in totally knowledge and skill.

Expected skill:  includes accuarate technical specification drawings of complex designs, and models and marques to scale built with precise techniques.

The UPPER SOPHISTICATED PLAY phase can only be achieved via demonstrable and consistent outcomes in the EARLY SOPHISTICATED PLAY phase of development.  

This phase typically demonstrates superior detail and expertise in being able to abstract models for complex design ideasdeemed viable for commercial production.  Typially a university degree graduate in Architure, engineering, and product design or cultrural equivalent.  High detailed knowledge in codified, or specific knowledge in highly abstract and well-credentialed simulations.  Modelling and simulation is of such plausible standard that peers would regard the information produced as a feasible reality, describing a solution or aspect of a project with sufficient detail as to permit realisation.

The SOPHISTICATED PLAY learner cannot progress to the SOPHISTICATED SKILLS phase without soliciting access via COMPETENT SKILLS either personally or via a successful collaboration.