Futurist Conferences Rethought Designing Events for Critical Thinking and Collaborative Futures – 44th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking Goes Virtual

The 44th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking has shifted to a virtual format, reflecting a deliberate effort to reimagine the conference design and foster critical thinking and collaborative exploration of future possibilities.

The event’s theme, “Reimagining Events for Critical Thinking and Collaborative Futures,” features a diverse program that delves into various perspectives on critical thinking, public engagement, and the future of different fields.

The virtual format enables broader participation, allowing individuals from diverse locations to engage in global collaboration.

The virtual format of the conference is designed to actively promote critical thinking, moving away from the traditional in-person model to foster collaborative exploration of future possibilities.

The conference organizers have introduced a discount for community online subscribers, reflecting their commitment to making the event accessible to a wider audience beyond just Foundation for Critical Thinking members.

Interestingly, the conference will explore the application of critical thinking in the field of critical care, highlighting the relevance of this skill set in high-stakes, time-sensitive contexts.

The conference’s virtual platform will record and make available all video and audio feeds, allowing participants to revisit the sessions and continue their learning and engagement even after the event has concluded.

Notably, the shift to a virtual format in 2023 marks a significant departure from the conference’s long-standing tradition of in-person gatherings, reflecting the organizers’ adaptability and willingness to rethink the conventional conference model.

Futurist Conferences Rethought Designing Events for Critical Thinking and Collaborative Futures – UNESCO Forum Explores Futures of Education in Korea

The UNESCO International Forum on the Futures of Education 2024 will be held in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, on December 24, 2024.

The forum aims to strengthen cooperation on the Futures of Education initiative, providing a platform for policymakers and education specialists to exchange experiences and ideas on innovative policies.

The Futures of Education initiative, launched by UNESCO in 2019, seeks to reimagine how knowledge and learning can shape humanity’s future in the context of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity.

The forum is taking place in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, which is known as the “Silicon Valley of South Korea” due to its high concentration of technology companies and startups.

The Futures of Education initiative that inspired this forum was developed through a global consultation process involving over 1 million people, making it one of the largest public engagements ever undertaken by UNESCO.

Korea has a long history of innovative approaches to education, including the widespread adoption of “flipped classrooms” where students learn content at home and use class time for interactive discussions and activities.

The forum will explore how artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies can be leveraged to create more personalized and adaptive learning experiences for students.

Experts from diverse fields, including neuroscience, design thinking, and educational psychology, will come together to provide interdisciplinary perspectives on the future of education.

One of the key discussion topics will be how to empower students to become active citizens who can critically engage with complex global challenges, moving beyond traditional content-focused curricula.

The forum will highlight successful case studies from Korea’s “smart school” initiatives, where schools have integrated cutting-edge technologies like virtual reality and robotics into their teaching and learning practices.

Futurist Conferences Rethought Designing Events for Critical Thinking and Collaborative Futures – Design Futures Initiative Engages Youth Through Activities and VR

The Design Futures Initiative is a nonprofit organization focused on facilitating responsible design and strategy practices that consider various challenges and opportunities.

The initiative engages youth through virtual reality (VR) activities and learning experiences, aiming to introduce them to the Futures Framework.

Additionally, the Design Futures Initiative is partnering with the United Nations to call for the creation of speculative artifacts that explore novel futures for sustaining peace.

The organization also develops and promotes methods of Futures Design Thinking, Speculative and Critical Design, Design Fiction, Futures Studies, and Strategic Foresight.

The Design Futures Initiative has partnered with the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs to call for designers and futurists to create speculative artifacts that evoke novel futures for sustaining peace.

The initiative’s youth program adapts the in-person experience to a digital-first world, with a structure built around vision, collaboration, and critical thinking, introducing more kids to the Futures Framework.

The organization documents experiential futures and provides training that combines design thinking and futures thinking methods, aiming to embody futures thinking in the design of everyday material and networked experiences.

The Design Futures Council is a platform for thought leaders that design for the built environment, gathering together to facilitate responsible design and strategy practices that consider ethical, cultural, environmental, political, and economic challenges.

The Design Futures Initiative has chapters globally, with local leaders curating and scheduling events to showcase and highlight Design Futures work and practice, expanding the reach of the organization.

The initiative’s youth program takes children through activities and learning experiences, culminating in a magical universe where they can save celestial bodies, fostering a sense of agency and futures thinking.

The organization’s PRIMER conferences provide a platform for designers, strategists, engineers, scientists, artists, and futurists from around the world to connect and collaborate on shaping the future.

The Design Futures Initiative’s Speculative Futures meetup is an international event that explores the intersection of design, futures, and critical thinking, offering a space for innovative ideas and perspectives.

Futurist Conferences Rethought Designing Events for Critical Thinking and Collaborative Futures – Signals and Drivers – Futurists’ Tools for Scenario Building

Futurists use tools like signals and drivers to build scenarios for the future.

Signals are concrete, compelling observations about how the world is changing, giving hints about where we might be headed, while drivers are broad long-term trends likely to have a significant impact on the future.

Futurists examine both signals and drivers to assemble possible future scenarios, often following divergent trajectories and associated ramifications.

Futurists often use the Futures Triangle method to create possible future scenarios, which considers the weight of the past, the push of the present, and the pull of the future.

Professional futurists use signals, which are concrete observations about how the world is changing, and drivers, which are broad long-term trends, to build scenarios for the future.

The Institute for the Future offers a Futures Thinking Specialization program that teaches essential foresight techniques and introduces students to the practice of futures thinking.

Futures thinking is considered a power skill, and training programs like Futurist-in-50-Days cover the required skill sets, exercises, and frameworks to anticipate future scenarios and events.

Digital platforms like Futures Platform provide collaborative scenario analysis tools for strategists and decision-makers to explore possible futures and build future-ready strategies.

Futurists engage in fictional scenarios to make predictions about the results of introducing new technologies and provide scenarios to ameliorate uncertainty.

Signals of change are examples of the future that is here today, which futurists use to assemble possible future scenarios along divergent trajectories, such as growth, constraint, collapse, and transformation.

The Futures Table allows futurists to analyze how different variables of a trend, development, or change signal may develop in the future, providing a structured approach to scenario planning.

Futurist Conferences Rethought Designing Events for Critical Thinking and Collaborative Futures – Divergent Trajectories Mapped in Future Scenario Planning

Futures thinking involves the exploration of plausible and relevant future scenarios, using divergent thinking to consider how the future might unfold differently.

Futurist conferences are being redesigned to encourage critical thinking and collaborative futures, with a focus on mapping out these divergent trajectories through methods like scenario planning.

By considering a range of possible futures, organizations can better prepare for the demands of an unknown future and make informed decisions.

Futures thinking is being applied in conservation planning to help identify viable actions for meeting the demands of an unknown future climate.

The development of future scenarios involves the use of a range of methods, including divergent thinking, to account for both convergent and divergent possibilities.

Webinars on developing divergent, plausible, and relevant climate futures are providing managers with decision-making tools to prepare for potential climate changes.

Scenario planning enables managers to consider how to respond to different future climates, a critical skill in an era of increasing uncertainty.

Divergent thinking, a skill that involves the creative elaboration of ideas, is a key component of futures thinking and scenario planning.

Futures thinking is being applied in various fields, from organizational strategic planning to climate change adaptation, to proactively anticipate changes and make informed decisions.

The Futures Triangle method, which considers the weight of the past, the push of the present, and the pull of the future, is a tool futurists use to create possible future scenarios.

Digital platforms like Futures Platform are providing collaborative scenario analysis tools to help strategists and decision-makers explore possible futures and build future-ready strategies.

Futurists engage in fictional scenarios to make predictions about the results of introducing new technologies and provide scenarios to ameliorate uncertainty, a critical skill in a rapidly changing world.

Futurist Conferences Rethought Designing Events for Critical Thinking and Collaborative Futures – Critical Thinking Community Hosts Annual Online Conference

The Critical Thinking Community is hosting its 44th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking, which will be held entirely online from July 21-26, 2024.

The conference aims to promote critical thinking and intellectual empathy and humility, with a diverse program that explores the application of critical thinking in various fields.

The Foundation for Critical Thinking, a nonprofit organization, offers resources and tools for learning and applying critical thinking skills through its subscription website, The Center for Critical Thinking Community.

The conference has been held entirely online for the past three years, reflecting the organizers’ adaptability and willingness to rethink the traditional conference model.

The Foundation for Critical Thinking, a nonprofit organization, offers free access to the video and audio recordings of all conference sessions, allowing participants to revisit the content even after the event.

The conference attracts attendees from diverse backgrounds, including educators, students, professionals, and lifelong learners, reflecting the widespread interest in cultivating critical thinking skills.

The conference organizers offer a special discount for subscribers to the Center for Critical Thinking Community, a subscription-based website that provides year-round resources and tools for learning and applying critical thinking skills.

The Critical Thinking Alliance, a separate organization, advocates for the integration of critical thinking into education and various aspects of society, further highlighting the conference’s broader mission.

The Foundation for Critical Thinking, which hosts the conference, is one of the longest-running think tanks in the world, with a rich history of promoting freedom of speech and thought.

The conference includes a special track focused on the application of critical thinking in high-stakes, time-sensitive contexts, such as critical care, providing attendees with unique insights into the practical value of this skill set.

The virtual format of the conference allows for real-time international collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas, facilitating a global exchange of perspectives on critical thinking.

The conference organizers provide scholarships to deserving teachers and administrators, ensuring that the event is accessible to a wider audience and supporting the development of critical thinking skills in educational settings.

The conference’s theme, “Reimagining Events for Critical Thinking and Collaborative Futures,” reflects a broader shift in the conference industry towards more interactive, participatory, and future-oriented experiences.