Keynote presentation to the national conference of the Association of Independent Schools, Wellington. Focus on learning from the past, looking to the future and living in the present.

1. Inspiring the next
generation of
leaders, thinkers
and problem-
solvers
derek@futuremakers.nz
@dwenmoth
www.futuremakers.nz
http://www.wenmoth.net
Future Focused
Learning
Keynote Presentation
Association of Independent Schools

3. LEARN
from the past
Understanding our histories, and
the things that have shaped our
lives helps us see how past events
have relevance in our life now.
LOOK
to the future
While it is impossible to accurately
predict the future, we can seek to
understand the trends that are
impacting our lives at every level.
LIVE
in the present
It is the decisions we make and
the actions we take in the present
that will ultimately determine
what our future looks like.

4. LEARN FROM THE PAST
To know something about someone's
past, and how it has shaped who they
are today, so enriches your
relationship. We share a rich tapestry
of history, as tangata whenua and
tangata Tiriti. A knowledge of that
history is the basis of mutual respect
and understanding, and a rock-solid
foundation for national unity in all our
cultural diversity.
Sir Pita Sharples (2012 History Matters).

5. “Punctual, Docile,
and Sober”
The early industrial capitalists spent a great deal of effort and time in the social
conditioning of their labour force, especially in Sunday schools which were designed to
inculcate middle class values and attitudes, so as to make the workers more susceptible
to the incentives that the factory needed.
Source: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-rise-and-fall-of-the-factory-system%3A-firms%2C-and-Mokyr/550436c9b08e5de05631aee41d043492784cc286?p2df

6. Images: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F._Taylor_1856-1915.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey#/media/File:John_Dewey_cph.3a51565.jpg
• Frederick Taylor
1856 – 1915
• Introduced ‘scientific
managment” – placing systems
above man
• Pinoneered standardization of
education
• Thorndike – “the main goal of
education is to sort young people
according to their ability”
• John Dewey
1859 – 1952
• "Democracy and the ethical
ideal of humanity are
synonymous.”
• Advocate for progressive
education and constructivism
• “Education is not an affair of
telling and being told, but and
active and constructive process.”

7. Education Exposed
https://wenmoth.net/2020/07/18/why-innovate-teaching-and-learning/
“The global COVID-19 pandemic has pulled back the curtain
on what our kids are doing at school and exposed
weaknesses in many of the philosophical understandings
that guide our work (both explicitly and implicitly), and in
the structures and processes that define how we work with
our students and the expectations we have of them etc.”

8. Some positive
experiences,
some not so:
Not-so positive experience for
many...
● Lack of digital access, poor
connectivity and/or no device
● Loss of immediate (f2f)
engagement with peers
● Demands placed on many parents
● Family responsibilities – care of
siblings
● Focus on content over connection
● Failure of schools and the system
to address context of learners
● No space to study in peace
● Lack of parent support or feedback
● Variable teacher capability and
capacity
● “Edutainment” vs. learning
Students speaking positively about...
● Flexibility of learning
● Freedom to manage themselves
and their time
● Increased use of online learning
platforms and digital tools
● Timetables (lack of)
● More free time to read, think,
engage in own activity
● No (or fewer) distractions
● Being able to learn
what/when/where they wanted to
● More relaxed, comfortable settings
and contexts
● More time to think and do the
work
● More time with family

9. LOOK TO THE FUTURE
He pai te tirohanga ki ngā
mahara mō ngā rā
pahemo engari ka puta te
māramatanga i runga i te
titiro whakamua
‘It’s fine to have recollections of the past,
but wisdom comes from being able to
prepare opportunities for the future.’
Image: Derek Wenmoth

10. The Signals are talking…
• Food/water supply
• Climate change
• Biodiversity loss
• Nano-technology
• Pandemics/global health
• Inequity
• Human rights
• Poverty
• Religious intolerance
• Economic collapse
Conformity
Compliance
Certainty
Volatility
Uncertainty
Complexity
Ambiguity
Comfort
Despair
HOPE

11. “To help students address
unknown future problems,
curricula need to focus on
areas with the highest
transfer value – in other
words, they need to give
priority to knowledge, skills
and attitudes that can be
learned in one context and
applied to others.”
Andreas Schleicher, OECD
https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/preparing-learners-for-a-pandemic-and-a-more-uncertain-world

12. 20 competencies
for a democratic
culture:
What capabilities
and competence are
you developing in
your ākonga?
Council of Europe: Digital Citizenship Handbook - https://rm.coe.int/16809382f9

13. CHARACTER
Learning to deep learn, armed with the
essential character traits of grit, tenacity,
perseverance, and resilience; and the ability to
make learning an integral part of living.
CREATIVITY
Having an ‘entrepreneurial eye’ for economic and
social opportunities, asking the right inquiry
questions to generate novel ideas, and leadership
to pursue those ideas and turn them into action.
COMMUNICATION
Communicating effectively with a variety of
styles, modes, and tools (including digital
tools), tailored for a range of audiences.
COLLABORATION
Work interdependently and synergistically in teams with
strong interpersonal and team-related skills including
effective management of team dynamics and challenges,
making substantive decisions together, and learning from
and contributing to the learning of others.
CRITICAL THINKING
Critically evaluating information and arguments,
seeing patterns and connections, constructing
meaningful knowledge, and applying it in the real
world.
CITIZENSHIP
Thinking like global citizens, considering global
issues based on a deep understanding of diverse
values and worldviews, and with a genuine interest
and ability to solve ambiguous and complex
real-world problems that impact human and
environmental sustainability.
Deep Learning Competencies - NPDL
https://deep-learning.global/

14. OECD - 4 Scenarios for Schooling
https://futuremakers.nz/2020/09/21/four-scenarios-for-the-future-of-schooling/

15. Education Reimagined
Fullan and Quinn - https://bit.ly/39sdxtG
A three – phase review…

16. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• Start with the current focus on school
• A place where individuals are nurtured,
supported and encouraged to grow
• Relationships matter
• Focus on collaboration
• Exposed to cultural, sporting and other
interests
Class teacher
Tertiary
School, kura
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.
CoP

17. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• Now include the home
• Another place where learning happens
• Role of parents/whanau
• Need to understand the cultural context, and
environmental factors
Remote learner
Hybrid teacher
Tertiary
Home
School, kura
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.
CoP

18. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• Add the personal learning networks beyond
the home…
• Social media/Online communities
• Sports clubs
• Cultural groups
• How is this captured as part of the learner’s
record of achievement?
Remote learner
Hybrid teacher
Tertiary
Home
School, kura
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.
CoP
Social
Network

19. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• Consider the wider community and other
sites of learning:
• Public library
• Art gallery
• Museum spaces
• Marae
• Etc.
• Bringing learning in virtually
Remote learner
Hybrid teacher
Remote teacher
Tertiary
Home
School, kura
Social
Network
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.
CoP
Community
spaces

20. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• World of business and work
• And the world beyond…
• Distance has disappeared
• Technology’s role in closing the gap
• Live local, learn global
• A ‘learning exchange’ gives the best of
both worlds.
Remote learner
Hybrid teacher
Remote teacher
Tertiary
Home
School, kura
Community
spaces
Social
Network
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.
CoP
Work

21. A boundary-less future – are you ready?

22. LIVE IN THE PRESENT
“The future depends on
what we do in the present.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/2398652242

23. http://www.oecd.org/education/schooling-redesigned-9789264245914-en.htm
“Schools need to drive a shift from
a world where knowledge that is
stacked up somewhere depreciating
rapidly in value towards a world in
which the enriching power of
communication and collaborative
flows is increasing”
OECD Schooling redesigned: Foreword

24. Learner centred
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2021/03/why-learner-centered-education-is-the-key-to-meaningful-school-improvement/

25. “Sustained higher achievement is
possible when teachers use
approaches that enable students
to take charge of their own
learning. Such approaches do not
leave the students to “discover” in
an unstructured environment.
Rather, they are highly structured
in supporting student agency and
sustained and thoughtful
engagement.”
Alton-Lee, A (2003) Quality teaching for diverse students in schooling; Best Evidence
Synthesis

26. In essence, students work together
and are responsible for one another’s
learning as well as their own.
Emphasizing thinking and increasing
higher-order learning, it has a range of
educational benefits, including an
alternative to ability grouping and as a
way to prepare students for an
increasingly collaborative workforce.
Building Blocks for an ILE: OECD – The Nature of Learning

29. Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs)
There is no more powerful transformative
force than education—to promote human
rights and dignity, to eradicate
poverty and deepen sustainability, to build
a better future for all, founded on equal
rights and social justice, respect for cultural
diversity, and international solidarity and
shared responsibility, all of which are
fundamental aspects of our common
humanity.”
Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO
https://futuremakers.nz/2021/01/11/could-the-sdgs-be-our-curriculum/

30. Global Citizenship
• Transcends political borders, and assumes that responsibilities
and rights can be derived from being a 'citizen of the world’
• Developing core competencies which allow learners to actively
engage with the world.
• Building understanding of world events.
• Take learning into the real world.
• About education for social justice1
• A better and more sustainable future for all
(https://futuremakers.nz/teachers/sustainable-development-goals/)
1
https://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/curriculum-matters/articles/global-citizenship-education-education-social-justice

31. Photo: Derek Wenmoth
• Focus on capabilities
• Embrace cultural diversity
• Educate for critical engagement
• Develop learner agency and voice
• Embrace risk and failure
• Emphasize character and
citizenship
• Localise your curriculum
• Engage in social good projects
BE FUTURE MAKERS!

32. LEARN
from the past
Understanding our histories, and
the things that have shaped our
lives helps us see how past events
have relevance in our life now.
LIVE
in the present
It is the decisions we make and
the actions we take in the present
that will ultimately determine
what our future looks like.
LOOK
to the future
While it is impossible to accurately
predict the future, we can seek to
understand the trends that are
impacting our lives at every level.

34. Thank You
derek@futuremakers.nz
@dwenmoth
www.futuremakers.nz
http://www.wenmoth.net