What if… we used the future to change the present in education?
Why and how can we use forward looking approaches to transform schooling?
““Foresight methods provide new approaches that allow for both “forward looking” to seek inferences about possible scenarios for the future, and can be “backward looking” by posing preferred scenarios for the future and examining the gap to the current situation.””
In this post:
Why is creating space to collaboratively think about the longer term future valuable?
How can a focus on the future impact on decision making in the present?
How can we find the future in the present to exemplify transformations that are possible?
What if we moved away from a traditional linear model of policy making?
Creating space to think collaboratively about the long-term possibilities can add to the “collective optimism” and group agency
Creating space to collaboratively think about possible and preferred futures provides an opportunity to bring people together to think about the longer term rather than the day-to-day tasks. We are not trying to predict the future but to consider what might be possible if we took a longer term perspective about where we want to head. Committing time to collaboratively discuss long term futures can add to the “collective optimism” in any organisation as people consider what is possible instead of just what are the current challenges. This can add to the group’s sense of agency.
At a national level, some countries are using “peoples” or “citizens” assemblies to respond to complex challenges such as climate change or social issues. At a time when divisions across societies seem to be widening, there is increased value in bringing together people from a wide variety of backgrounds to consider long term futures that can contribute to the common good. In education, multi-stakeholder processes provide insights from multiple perspectives that can produce robust novel ideas or ways to reframe present practice.
An example of supporting dialogue between teachers, parents, and students within a town to create commitments for joint action is Ireland’s Bringing Education Alive for our Communities On a National Scale initiative (BEACONS). The BEACONS processes at a local level support a “policy from the middle” approach to informs broader education policy development and seeks to refocus on the joy of learning, teaching and life in schools.
“What if... every university hosted a one week retreat for policy makers, school leaders, teachers, teacher educators and student teachers and other stakeholders/ stakeholder groups, using a format whereby each stakeholder group takes turns leading a session about a topic they identify as important to consider for the future of schooling? What if this led to some regional and system initiatives for the short- and long- term?”
A focus on the future can inform and determine decision making in the present
A clear view of the longer term, preferred directions can influence decision making in the short term by avoiding decisions that would restrict longer term aspirations. Rather than taking the most obvious decision, holding strong views about the longer-term vision can lead to bolder short-term decision making that has more positive and sustainable lasting effects.
A focus on longer term thinking can also introduce actions to achieve transformation that are different to shorter term actions. Referred to in the research as “policy ambidexterity”, there are many advantages to separating longer- and shorter- term change. Firstly, it can reduce feelings of being overwhelmed by change by clearly identifying actions for the short term and actions which will take longer to implement. Secondly, adding longer term change strategies can be attractive because they support time and greater consideration of ideas. Examples of longer-term change strategies include identifying innovations that already exist and bringing together practitioners, researchers and policy makers to examine directions forward and to work collaboratively to build possible approaches that could be implemented.
“The future is here already, it is just not spread evenly”
Policy makers and practitioners want to see what transformation can look like in practice. A mantra of futures work is the saying that “the future is here already, it is just not spread evenly”. This idea recognises that change is occurring at all levels and that some of the best innovations have already occurred at a school level by people responding to the changing challenges they face. Examining these “micro-innovations” change can provide new insights into possibilities and contexts, as well as expertise that can be drawn upon to develop broader policy.
While it can be challenging for policy makers to engage with multiple preferred or possible futures, rather than traditional linear approaches, the value of creating space to create future ideas is they are likely to be relevant for changing circumstances in the present or near future. This provides a more sophisticated form of policy making.
What if we counterabalance the extensive history of schooling that can prevent change with our collective hopes and ideas for the future?
