Today we’re listening in on a conversation Tom had with Katherine Prince. Katherine leads the foresight practice at KnowledgeWorks as the Vice President of Strategic Foresight. In this role she has held for the last 9 months, Katherine leads their exploration of the future of learning, creates the strategy for their strategic foresight work, speaks and writes about the trends shaping education over the next decade, and helps education stakeholders strategize about how to become active agents of change in shaping the future.

 

An important part of KnowledgeWorks’ foresight practice is its 10-year forecasts. Every couple of years since 2006, they issue a new one. Their fifth one was released last year and is called, “Navigating the Future of Learning.” And just this past June, they recently released a strategy guide that is responding to that forecast. The strategy guide emphasizes what education stakeholders can do to respond to these changes and trends outlined in their forecast.

 

Listen in to hear Katherine describe the strategy guide with Tom, explaining the five driving trends and five opportunity areas for building effective strategies!

 

Key Takeaways:

[:14] About today’s episode with Katherine Prince.

[:46] Tom welcomes Katherine to the podcast.

[1:01] When and why did KnowledgeWorks begin forecasting the future of learning?

[2:10] Katherine and Tom dive right into the first key-driver category outlined in the strategy guide: automating choices.

[3:40] Katherine gives an explanation of the second category: civic superpowers.

[5:09] Katherine speaks about the third category: accelerating brains.

[6:37] Katherine explains the fourth category: toxic narratives.

[8:27] Katherine speaks about the fifth category: remaking geographies.

[9:14] How does climate crisis fit into KnowledgeWorks’ forecast? And how does Katherine think about learning to mitigate the climate crisis as well as learning how to adapt to it?

[11:33] In the strategy guide, they outline five opportunities for moving toward a shared horizon in education. Katherine begins by explaining their first opportunity: civic engagement for the smart age.

[12:54] Katherine explains the second opportunity: a learning lifestyle.

[14:40] Katherine explains the third outlined opportunity: systemic interdependence.

[16:16] Katherine explains the fourth opportunity: smart technologies for all.

[18:49] Katherine explains the fifth and final opportunity: many selves, many stories.

[20:37] What can learning communities start to address to begin taking advantage of these opportunities?

[22:27] In the guide, under “Taking Action Now,” they ask: “How might you modify these strategies to reflect how your organization or your ecosystem’s vision, values, and context?” Katherine answers this question from her own perspective.

[23:05] Would Katherine consider this guide as a collective action plan?

[23:52] The last set of questions they ask under “Taking Action Now” are around resources. Has Katherine seen any interesting trends there about people developing new resources or reallocating resources?

[24:51] How KnowledgeWorks’ forecasts have had major impact.

[26:54] What should people do next? Katherine gives her recommended next steps, whether you’re a civic leader or a teacher, to catalyze change in your community.

[28:18] Where to find the strategy guide, Katherine, and learn more online!

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

KnowledgeWorks

Strategic Mindset at KnowledgeWorks

Katherine Prince on LinkedIn

Katherine Prince’s Profile on KnowledgeWorks

KnowlegeWorks’ 2018 Forecast: “Navigating the Future of Learning”

“Navigating the Future of Learning: A Strategy Guide”

“Greta Thunberg, 16-Year-Old Swedish Environmental Activist, Has Been Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize”

Better Together: How to Leverage School Networks for Smarter Personalized and Project Based Learning, by Tom Vander Ark and Lydia Dobyns

Smart Cities that Work for Everyone: 7 Keys to Education & Employment, by Tom Vander Ark with Mary Ryerse

KnowledgeWorks’ Twitter: @KnowledgeWorks

Katherine Prince’s Twitter: @KatPrince

 

For a Review of Seven Important Books on the Topic of Climate Change, Listen to:

Getting Smart Episode 210: “Exploring Climate Change Education with Greg Smith”

 

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