“Look closely at the present you are constructing:
― Alice Walker
it should look like the future you are dreaming.”
Alice Walker’s profound quote, “Look closely at the present you are constructing: it should look like the future you are dreaming,” serves as a powerful reminder that our current actions shape the world we’ll inhabit tomorrow. This insight is particularly relevant as we face multiple crises that will significantly impact future generations. Consider the following, for example:
The Economy
Our present economic decisions are laying the groundwork for future financial landscapes. The aftermath of recessions can lead to long-term “scarring” effects on individuals and the broader economy. Consider many of the political decisions we’re seeing being taken, for example, delaying investment in critical infrastructure, reducing investment in supporting the poor and disadvantaged in our society, ceasing or limiting investment in research and development.
Many of these choices, while providing relief in the short term, end up costing us and our future generations in the longer term.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Issues connected to the pandemic, natural disasters and economic crisis have a profound impact on mental health, which could have long-lasting consequences. Consider what we know about increased rates of major depression due to financial difficulties, often leading to anxiety about job insecurity, even for those still employed or deterioration in affective wellbeing after job loss
Addressing these issues now is crucial to prevent the growth of a “vicious cycle” of poor mental health and economic struggles in the future.
Climate Action
Our present approach to climate change will determine the environmental conditions for generations to come. Consider, for example, investments in renewable energy, policies on carbon emissions and conservation efforts for biodiversity
Our planet is a closed ecosystem and the supply of resources is limited. We cannot go on with an ‘extractive’ approach to how we use those resources without facing the consequences in the future. The choices we make today will influence the future of our energy systems, for example, and the severity of future climate impacts, from sea-level rise to extreme weather events.
Ecological Decisions
Our current treatment of ecosystems will shape the natural world of tomorrow. We are facing an unprecedented reduction in our bio-diversity – essential for the future of that ecosystem. Consider, for example, deforestation rates, protection of endangered species or the management of water resources.
These decisions will determine the biodiversity and ecological balance available to future generations. By examining these present constructions, we can better align our actions with the future we aspire to create. As we face these crises, it’s crucial to remember that each choice we make is a building block for the world we’re leaving to future generations.
Education has a critical role
Education is not immune to this ‘short-termism’ in approach. The current ‘crisis’ being referred to around the need to address concerns regarding poor performance in literacy, numeracy and writing is causing many governments to mandate the use of targeted approaches to address these issues. I don’t disagree that urgent attention is required here – just as it is for some of the issues listed above – but we must ensure that the broader goals of education aren’t lost in the frenzy of addressing just one part of what school is about (although I’m sure there will be a challenge to my statement here as it would seem the question of ‘why’ school is being challenged if one examines the rationale for a lot of current policy changes).
To create a strong ‘future-focus’ emphasis in curriculum development and teaching, educators and the education system should adopt a comprehensive approach that prepares students with the foundational skills they will need to remain active as learners, AND for an uncertain and rapidly changing world. This approach should encompass several key elements:
Integrated Curriculum Design
We need to be developing a concept-based curriculum that connects different subject areas and real-world issues
This approach helps students make links between the knowledge they’re learning and the world around them, tackle real-world problems and issues selected by students themselves and develop critical thinking skills across all curriculum areas.
Emphasis on Core Capabilities
Future-focused learning should prioritize the development of essential skills and competencies such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication, character and citizenship.
These capabilities should be integrated into all aspects of the curriculum, rather than treated as isolated subjects or activities.
Student-Driven Learning
Shifting from a teacher-driven to a student-driven approach is crucial for future-focused education. This involves co-designing curricula with students, encouraging student-led inquiries and projects and empowering students to take an active role in their learning.
More of my thinking on this is included in the book I co-authored titled Agency By Design, which is available as a free download if you’re looking to explore this further.
Addressing ‘Wicked Problems’
In addition to ensuring every child has the foundational skills required to participate in life and continue learning into the future, education should prepare students to tackle complex, interconnected challenges characteristic of the future world. This includes exploring issues such as sustainability, citizenship, enterprise and globalization which are highlighted in the future focus section of the NZ Curriculum (the current one at least?).
Collaborative Teaching
To effectively implement a future-focused curriculum, educators should embrace collaborative teaching methods. This is because so much of what we will be required to do and be into the future won’t be achieved as a solo endeavour – it will require much more sophisticated approaches to collaborative problem solving. We need to be seeing more of co-teaching across subject areas, exploring co-teaching possibilities and co-designing concept-based learning experiences in our schools – and we should be seeing a lot more of that involving not just the educators in our schools, but students, their parents/whānau and the community.
Continuous Adaptation
The education system must remain flexible and adaptable to keep pace with rapid societal and technological changes. There is plenty of evidence suggesting that our current school structures and processes have fallen behind in this regard – and an emerging concern that the ‘back to basics’ movement could hinder this even more. School and system leaders must be committed to regularly reviewing and updating curriculum content, incorporating emerging technologies and skills and fostering a culture of lifelong learning among educators
By implementing these strategies, educators and the education system can create a strong ‘future-focus’ emphasis that prepares students to navigate and shape the complex world they will inherit.
Call to action
As we pause for reflection during this summer break, Alice Walker’s words echo with renewed urgency. While we face immediate pressures to address literacy and numeracy outcomes, we must remember that these are not endpoints but foundations for the broader purpose of education. The present we are constructing in our schools today – through every lesson plan, every interaction, and every decision about how we spend our precious learning time – is actively shaping the future our students will inherit.
The challenge before us is not to choose between foundational skills and future-focused learning – it’s to weave them together purposefully. As you return to your classrooms in the new year, ask yourself: How can each learning experience both strengthen essential skills and develop the capabilities our students need for their future? What small steps can you take tomorrow that align with the future you dream of for your learners?
The future isn’t something that happens to us – it’s something we construct daily through our choices and actions. Let’s return to our schools ready to embrace both the immediate challenges and the broader vision of education that our students deserve. After all, the present we create in our classrooms today will become the future our students live tomorrow.
Useful resources
Future Focus – Left to Chance? (FutureMakers) – https://futuremakers.nz/2023/03/12/future-focus-left-to-chance
Future Focused Curriculum A guide for secondary school educators to design concept-based curricula (Grow Waitaha) https://www.growwaitaha.co.nz/media/w1tdvqt3/gw_ccld_guide_hr.pdf
Agency By Design: A Playbook for Educators (FutureMakers) – https://futuremakers.nz/agency-by-design/
Taking a “future focus” in education—what does it mean? (NZCER) – https://www.nzcer.org.nz/sites/default/files/downloads/taking-future-focus-in-education.pdf
Future Focus Principle (MoE) https://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Principles/Future-focus-principle
Taking a “future focus” in education—what does it mean? (NZCER) https://www.nzcer.org.nz/research/publications/taking-future-focus-education-what-does-it-mean
