Outputs from the past year are on the website: context and information on the programme, the research generated over the course of the programme to date, and the scenarios developed from the work of the past year. Our next task is to begin using these possible futures to work with educators, local authorities and other people who have a practical concern with the future and the place of education within it.

All of this was only possible with the insight, expertise and support of a vast number of people: our Expert Advisory Group, the authors of the reviews, the many interviewees and workshop attendees who contributed to the programme, and of course the BCH team at Futurelab. In particular, though, we’d like to acknowledge the huge role played by the following people. Professor Keri Facer was at the heart of the project, shaping the aims and principles of the programme, fostering a genuinely interdisciplinary approach and inspiring the rest of us to think beyond the obvious or easy. The leaders of our research challenges — Professor Sarah Harper, Professor Helen Haste, Dr Carey Jewitt and Professor Rob Wilson — all brought together a staggering range of major thinkers with international reputations in their fields, and worked beyond their original brief to synthesise and communicate a huge amount of work. Helen Beetham’s experience and creativity were vital to the completion of the final scenarios. It was an immense privilege to work with the members of our Expert Advisory Group: Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Professor David Buckingham, Professor Dave Cliff, Professor Danny Dorling, Dr Patrick Hazlewood, Professor Gunther Kress, Professor Nick Lee, Professor Claire O’Malley, Professor Dr Audrey Osler, Vanessa Pittard, Professor Alan Prout, Suzanne Stein, Professor Josie Taylor, Professor Rupert Wegerif, Robin Widdowson, Professor Colin Williams and Robert Wood. Between them they represent experience and insight from education policy, philosophy, neuroscience, computer science, cognitive psychology, economics, education and demographics, and without their contribution the program would be unimaginably poorer. And absolutely none of this would have happened at all without the imagination, commitment and support of Dominic Flitcroft from the DCSF, supported by Oona Hickie.

This is the last post on this blog, which will be archived. We’re not done with the future yet, though. Keep an eye on @futurelabedu for information on our upcoming futures projects and events.

Thanks all. See you in 2030.

One of the topics that arose from time to time was the question of what these scenarios would be used for: what, in effect, was the value of trying to provide multiple alternative visions of the future, rather than just aiming for a single most likely future? I think one of the best answers to this is that having alternatives allow you to counter dominant visions and orthodox futures. And this morning I read one of the best examples of why you might want to do that, in Mervyn King’s explanation of the regulators’ failure to censure the practices of the financial sector: “They would have been seen to be arguing against success”.

When there’s a single, dominant vision of how things are and how they will be, it has a distorting effect, exerting a strange kind of gravity that – while things are going well – seems to attract only support. Of course, once this dominant vision falters there’s greater appetite for different approaches, but by then things have already turned sour. This is why futures work is important: articulating alternative futures in a systematic way gives us the chance to step outside the influence of recieved opinon, even while it’s at its most influential. And if we can do that, we might not have to wait for disaster before we can change things for the better.

We’ll be hidden in deepest, darkest Oxfordshire building these scenarios, but in the meantime, a link to the first TeachMeet video (from BETT 09)  – an unconference that brings teachers together to share practices and ideas and relates to work around informal communities of practice and ‘bottom-up’ innovations.

This research has been, and I am not being sarcastic, really interesting. Some publish incredibly practical advice, for example, the Designing for Sport on School Sites guidance by Sport England, or the English Heritage report on repurposing historic schools.Others provoke thought, like the video by primary school children arguing for 21^st century technology (on Future online). And others provide support networks for those that want to try something new – like revamping curriculums

Anyway, I have two questions for all those that read this. Firstly, are there are any sites that you find or have found useful when it came to future thinking around education? It could be practical guidance on extended schools, curriculum or school redesign, or it could be something that really inspired you – a case study that broadened your view or set off a new train of thought. If you could let me know I’ll include it in the resources section where hopefully it can help others. Secondly, when it comes to doing any planning do you look at the internet at all? If so for what? For downloading the relevant forms? For inspiration? For practical advice? I’m interested so I can tailor my lists accordingly. And when you’ve finished this self evaluation task on relevant websites and their use in your innovative projects you can complete the self evaluation forms…

Jessica Charlesworth and Michael Burton showed some work around futures and obesity during the workshop and here are some of their reflections.  They make for interesting reading, both for the comments Jessica and Michael make, but also for the articles and links they show.

Their reflections can be found here.

The results of those conversations are a couple of programmes being broadcast on Teachers TV. A half hour documentary – ‘School Matters: Tomorrow’s Teacher, Tomorrow’s School’ – will be broadcast for the first time at 7am on February 2.  A programme about a secondary school lesson – ‘Secondary Cross Curricular – Tomorrow’s Teacher’ – will first be aired at 7.30am on February 3.  The lesson uses both Million Futures and Power League to help the students think about the future.

Teachers TV are also running a competition about Future Teachers – more info can be found here.

And finally, a link to a BETT ‘09 presentation on the DCSF stand under the theme ‘Policy in Practice’.

Alex Hall/Atmos‘ developed presentation shows a variety of installations, presentations and projects – all of which can be used to reflect upon the use of space, and how both form and function of spaces/lighting can be different in relation to social and technological changes.  It’s also just beautiful to enjoy.

The Vision 2020 asks 9 influential speakers to talk about both short and long term changes for education and learning.

Both useful, especially if you’re looking for something for journeys to BETT …

A quick Friday post then to point to the Chicago Tribune’s images of past ‘high tech’ gadets.  The weekend homework that accompanies the images – think about stories from science fiction, predictions and forecasts you have heard and look for where parts of them have been realised.

A light-hearted review of some of those are answered in Where’s my jetpack?.

Education is a future-building enterprise.  One of the education system’s key roles is in preparing young people for the future world that they will inhabit and help shape when they leave formal education, whilst ensuring they are supported in making sense of the world in which they live now.  But in building learners’ capacity to live and work in this future world, it is vital to be mindful of the social and technological changes that have implications for the sorts of jobs, communities and relationships that will develop in the near future.   A child starting primary school this year will be leaving compulsory education in 2022.  So if we are to prepare these learners for this world, how can we begin to understand what they are being prepared for?

We can start by investigating a number of technological and social trends that have great implications for the role of formal education and in particular the aim of equipping people for specific vocations and the world of work.  Rapid improvements in digital synchronous communications and the development of virtual worlds are already challenging what it means to be ‘at work’.  In the same way, some of the technological developments that can be forecasted afford a range of new ways of organising learning and teaching: many already being investigated as new models for education.  The use of computer games as engaging activities where learners can play and investigate in different spaces, taking on a range of different roles and solving complex tasks and activities;  digital environments where learners can be immersed, not through graphics and sounds, but through investing their emotions in completing personally relevant challenges.  Computer simulations offer learners the chance to become involved in contexts otherwise inaccessible: dangerous environments (such as high risk laboratories) and remote or inaccessible places.  The opportunities afforded by the use of new and emerging technologies aligned with appropriate pedagogical approaches, offers new ways for learners to experience the work place and particular working practices.

Similarly, developing situated learning approaches that allow young people to learn within a real work context become possible and more realistic through developments in mobile, networked technologies.  Innovative examples of this approach to vocational learning can be seen at Boston College as part of the Learning and Skills Council’s MoLeNET programme, using mobile technologies to gather context appropriate assessments and providing appropriate support to students on a range of apprenticeship schemes.  At the same time, several companies are experimenting with linking their own bespoke training courses to national accreditation and to digital portfolios to support employees in demonstrating transferable skills to support them within a highly dynamic working environment.  These innovative projects may be signposts to wider scale developments in the future.

Other technological developments can support learning in activities that are currently prohibitively expensive. This is evidenced through projects such as the Haptic Cow where learning through manipulation and touch can become possible, but other complex tasks too can be assisted though haptic feedback: the ‘Phantom Haptic‘ is a design tool enabling budding (and experienced) designers to created 3D objects with force-feedback as the digital objects are manipulated and developed.  These technologies could provide ways for vocational learning to be moved virtually, if not physically, closer to the authentic contexts at which the training is aimed.

However, it is easy to imagine any future education as the current system with more technology.  Societal changes have equally great implications for the way in which the aims of education can be articulated and then successfully organised and achieved.  The forecasts of an aging population of 50% of the UK population aged over 50 and 25% over 65 years old is not a picture of a rise in the need for vocational training for nursing and caring.  Radical longevity represents a longer working life; a greater distance between the time of achieving school qualifications and final retirement, and a greater need for reskilling and later life training. The learners on vocational courses in the future may already have tens of years experience in other areas of work, so demand for vocational courses in this context may be job specific or even skill specific given the highly dynamic workforce that will be needed.  If data showing a below-replacement level birth rate and high levels of (inward and outward) migration is then taken into consideration, the requirements of diverse communities also becomes a factor influencing what vocational learning is needed:  Understanding how courses and training can be organised and delivered for a multi-generational, pluralistically financed, highly mobile student groups becomes a key issue for institutions and policy makers.  Does this then suggest a movement away from investment in formative education toward better funded re-skilling for older learners or does retraining become the responsibility of the commercial sectors or the learners themselves?

At school age, vocational learning may focus upon the skills, competences and attitudes of work-readiness.  Coping with change; working in highly diverse teams, and the ability to apply skills and knowledge to a wide range of contexts become the foundation of vocational teaching.  Other descriptors of ‘work’, such as effort, perseverance, dedication and target setting are those currently associated with the the literature on the benefits of playing computer games.  This broad range of skills and competencies may be covered then, by a range of formal and informal learning experiences.  But greater divergence in jobs means the specialism of specific industry may not relate to the expertise of teachers.  The role of the teacher becomes expert pedagogue whilst greater links with subject experts within industry bring the appropriate expertise into the ‘classroom’.

The implications of bringing work and vocational learning closer has obvious educational benefits, but what of other consequences?  Creative ideas generated by young people, as evidenced in projects such as Nuffield’s Young Foresite could be harnessed much more through links between industry and students’ access to 3D fabrication.  For the last 40 years, Moore’s Law has proved to be right and if it continues, as we expect it will, then a 3D printer that costs £0.5m today will cost around £500 in 20 years time.  Certainly affordable for every school and college, if not in most classrooms.  With creative learners producing production quality products as part of their learning experience, one could begin to question who is benefiting from the closer relationships between industry and learner, and the extent to which ‘vocational learning’ and ‘training’ are separated.

There is currently a growing recognition of the importance of vocational learning, not as a second choice to academic routes but as an equal (and even blurred in the case of some academies) route to success.  This developing trend has emerged from a range of campaigns and ties directly to current interest in personalisation: developing appropriate curricular and practices around the needs of the learner.  At the same time the voices of industry, highlighting the skills needed are becoming more clearly collected.  Yet is there a chance then, that as schools begin to take on andragogical approaches: listening to learner voice, providing greater choice and flexibility, an emphasis upon reactive teaching; that vocational learning for more experienced adults moves towards more traditional pedagogical models – where the teacher has far greater control over the aims, approaches and models used?  The focus of vocational learning becomes more strictly about short term responses to market need in a fast moving economy-driven market?

There are many possible long term vocational learning futures.  The important task now is to understand the preferable future and begin putting in place the practices and systems to work towards it.

The three presentations will be made available online (probably through Slideshare) but they are aimed at different audiences – so a quick run down below for those who want to start filling in those new Christmas calendars!

BCH is appearing three times at the BETT show – a free trade show for anyone interested in new technologies for education, held at London’s Olympia. Be great to meet some of you – and there’s also a brilliant freebie for anyone who visits us there!

The first is on Wednesday 14th January (3pm) , which will share some of the early developments of a toolkit to support strategic thinking and planning for educational change. The session will be particularly of use to education leaders involved large scale investments in education, such as Building Schools for the Future and Primary Capital Programmes. The toolkit builds on work from Futurelab and the evidence developed as part of the DCSF/Futurelab  Beyond Current Horizons The presentation will share some of this background before showcasing some of the developments of the toolkit that brings together a number of resources to support educational visioning; collaborative workshop techniques, and that uses a range of evidence to inform strategic planning. A quick 30 minute burst of how BCH may be of use to you in the New Year (on the DCSF’s Policy into Practice stand)

Second is a presentation on Saturday 17th January (12.30), also on the DCSF’s Policy into Practice stand. This presentation will provide more detail about what the programme is trying to achieve and present some of the emerging findings. In particular, it will present some of the current and emerging socio-technological trends and the implications for realising the goals of the Children’s Plan as well as the potential impact on learners, teachers, industry and learning institutions in the future. Particularly of use if you want to understand why long-term futures thinking is of use in education.

The third presentation is also on Saturday 17th January (2pm), in Seminar room C of Olympia. This presentation is more geared for teachers as it will introduce and share the ‘Innovations Handbook‘, the new, free resource from Futurelab that aims to help teachers and school leaders to develop innovative approaches to learning and teaching by offering practical tools, advice and argument to support changing practices. The presentation also talks about Beyond Current Horizons but the focus will be more about how emerging trends challenge current practice. In particular, by presenting both ‘Beyond Current Horizons’ and the ‘Innovations Handbook’, the aim is to offer visions of long-term futures whilst providing the tools for teachers and schools leaders to shape their schools’ near term futures.

And finally – there may be a brief outline of BCH at the BETT TeachMeet – but more importantly that event will provide a great opportunity to hear, first hand, some of the amazing work going on in schools at the moment.