2020 Forecast

Adding to the discussion around the future of education in my previous post, here’s an initiative out of the US from the Knowledgeworks Foundation and the Institute for the Future titled 2020 Forecast: Creating the Future of Learning.

There’s a wealth of future-focused material here to consider, with the main focus being the six change drivers highlighted at the top. For each of the six change drivers there is a drill down of information and ideas, including a summary of 5 ways to take action. This is genuinely ‘big picture’ stuff, and provides a great strategic action focus following on from the work on the Map of Future Forces affecting the Future of Education from the KnowledgeWorks Foundation that I’ve blogged about before.

I like the quote on the opening page:

This world calls not for better schools, but for entirely new kinds of learning environments.
To be successful in it, tomorrow’s learners will not just need better teachers; they will need guides who take on fundamentally different roles.

I’m working today with Tony Ryan and a group of 40 secondary students from schools in Naper and Hastings, our focus being on how we can become change agents, developing the skills and dispositions that will enable them to create viable futures for themselves, their schools and their community. This resource provides me with a valuable reminder of the context within which we operate, and the factors we need to consider.

This is also a timely resource to add to the discussions here in New Zealand around the future of secondary education – I encourage others to read it!

2 thoughts on “2020 Forecast

  1. I absolutely appreciate these big picture resources from the Knowledgeworks Foundation Derek and have used a number of the resources to talk to schools about the influences of grassroots economics and social networking and the impact on the 2.0 classroom teacher. They are generous to share their presentation aids, one of which I have also used myself, “Transforming School into 21st Century Learning Organizations”. I have embedded the Knowledgeworks map of future forces in my netvibes page and encourage schools to consider these trends and hotspots when strategic planning. I especially like the way the resource allows you to unpack the ideas further and make links to blogging entries.

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