Futures Thinking: Imagining What Can Be at CEE
CEE FUTURES THINKING TASK FORCE
Erika Johnson, Assistant Head of School
Nassim Shandy, Director of Teaching and Learning
The culminating in-service experience on November 10, 2023, involved visiting various organizations and companies across California that are at the forefront of innovation. The intention of these visits was to give Center employees a firsthand glimpse into all the ways organizations address practices related to the rapidly evolving future, and examine the following questions in the context of CEE.
Kia Perry, Math Specialist
Stephanie Steelman, EC Library Teacher
Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic—which spurred many rapid changes to how people work and study—was the right time to initiate this project of looking ahead to the future of education. With these goals in mind, the CEE Futures Thinking Task Force, consisting of faculty and administrators across divisions, was created in 2023. The diverse team represented different areas of thought and expertise to explore the concept of Futures Thinking: the ability to identify signals and trends to anticipate a range of possible futures that our students will step into upon graduating from CEE. CEE ANNUAL REPORT 2023–2024 | PAGE 14
“When people think about their future selves, their brain activity mirrors the type of activity that occurs when they think about complete strangers.” -Hal Hershfield, Psychologist and Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making at UCLA
One of the professional development highlights of the past school year was the exploration of CEE’s Futures Thinking initiative, a project that gave the school’s faculty and staff a glimpse into how the world continues to evolve and ways the school can anticipate and plan for many possible futures. The work of The Center for Early Education is inherently futurefocused as we seek to fulfill our mission of developing lifelong learners. Many people say things like, "We're preparing students for jobs that don’t exist yet." As a school for young children, this is something The Center takes to heart. Thinking about the ways in which the world is constantly changing, and the implications these changes will have on education, continues to be a priority for the school.
After working closely with organizations including Stanford University’s d.school and Institute for the Future, the Task Force brought the Futures Thinking framework to the faculty and staff with workshops and an immersive in-service experience. The workshops introduced the concept of futures thinking, highlighting the importance of questioning assumptions, staying open to change, and considering how different industries will evolve by the time our students enter the workforce. This work is essential because while The Center will always be committed to providing a developmentallyappropriate education, we must also focus on the critical thinking skills students must develop to become adaptable and forwardthinking citizens.
Beatríz Salcido, EC Teacher
Lauren Trammell, UE Science Teacher
• How might we prepare students to be lifelong and adaptive learners? • How might the world change, and why? • What might people need in those futures? The task force carefully chose each site. They first began by identifying key areas of inquiry and then researching organizations and companies engaged in that type of work. For example, to explore the intersection of art and technology, they planned a visit to meet with the Principal Production Designer and Senior Research and Development Imagineer at Walt Disney’s Imagineering. An inquiry into clothing and its environmental impact led the team to choose Patagonia headquarters to meet with their Senior Environmental Impact Specialist and the design team to learn about the ways in which the company is committed to responsible business practices and environmental sustainability.
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