Your Name and Title: Elizabeth Ross Hubbell, Consultant
School, Library, or Organization Name: McREL
Co-Presenter Name(s): Bryan Goodwin
Country from Which You Will Present: USA
Language in Which You Will Present: English
Target Audience (such as primary school teachers, high school administrators, students, etc.): K-12 administrators
Short Session Description (one line): How Scenario Planning Can Help Your School Prepare for an Uncertain Future
Full Session Description (as long as you would like): How does a school respond to a rapidly changing world where students' needs in understanding global economies, politics, and histories continue to become more and more crucial? One option could be to engage teachers, administrators, parents, and students in scenario planning - or using current trends to create four plausible, hypothetical futures and considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats these scenarios could create for your school or district.
Prior to 2003, McREL rarely considered the implications of an aging workforce and the associated stresses it could place on public and private resources for education research and development. The same was true of our understanding of the impact of rapid advancements in information technology. Yet one thing was clear – the world was changing rapidly and the ten years between 2004 and 2014 could be unlike any experienced in recent history.
So we began collecting data on workforce and student demographics, the costs of various education and healthcare programs, emerging technologies and their likely impact on education, generational characteristics, economics, globalization, and emerging new models of “school.” The more data we collected and analyzed, the more apparent it became that we must begin planning now for our future.
Come and learn how McREL changed its practices by using the process of scenario planning. Hear our four plausible scenarios for education in 2020 and how we suggest educators prepare for any of these possible futures. School leaders will learn how they can apply scenario planning to their own organizations.
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: www.mcrel.org
Replies
Hi, Elizabeth! This looks really interesting, but doesn't seem focused on globally connecting students and/or teachers. Would you like to revise or help me to better understand the connections? If you make any changes, be sure to let me know so I can revisit.
Hi Steve,
Thank you for this feedback. As this was my 2nd edit for this proposal, I will withdraw it since it doesn't fit the theme of the conference. Thank you.
Me again!
Re-reading this I do see the connection to Global, and would just want that called out more clearly if you would still like this considered--as I think it would be a valuable addition to the conference. As well, it might also be appropriate for Learning 2.0 (http://www.learning20.com).
Interesting topic Elizabeth. Will keep this in mind to attend your session. I am sure it will be very useful. I used scenario planning several times before but would love to see how it works with future uncertainty.