Sean and Punya talk with Steven Zuiker and Ed Finn about the importance of imagination and futures thinking in K12 learning environment. We explore the core research question of their Learning Futures Collaborative: How can we prepare youth to think critically about and take agency for their futures?

In this episode we explore the ongoing work through the Imagination and Futures Thinking for K12 Learning Futures Collaborative, where Ed and Steve discuss the core issues of why does every school teach history but hardly any have courses on the future? They discuss their aims in this project to establish a working group around futures thinking and foresight in K-12 education with an aim of building community and developing an interdisciplinary program of research.

Guest Information

Dr. Ed Finn

Ed Finn is the founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, where he is an associate professor with a joint appointment in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Arts, Media and Engineering. He also serves as the academic director of Future Tense, a partnership between ASU, New America and Slate Magazine and a co-director of Emerge, an annual festival of art, ideas and the future.

Dr. Steven Zuiker 

Steve Zuiker is an associate professor of the learning sciences in the division of educational innovation and leadership. His research is broadly based on the notion that ideas are only as important as what we can do with them.

Additional Links

• Center for Science and the Imagination (ASU) https://csi.asu.edu/
• Imagination and Futures Thinking for K12 Learning Futures Collaborative (ASU)

The Learning Futures Podcast is jointly produced by Enterprise Technology and the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.