Futures Thinking
This page has been kept for reference.
It will no longer be updated by ICVET.
The aim of futures thinking is to offer alternative images of the future and choices of action based on these images. Futures thinking expands the scope of ideas for consideration by expanding time scales and stimulating creativity. Futures thinking is useful in developing innovative solutions and new services or products.
Websites
Schooling for Tomorrow - Tools for Futures Thinking
This OECD publication offers a number of generic and relevant scenarios and has a paper that aims to give a comprehensive and user oriented view of a range of methodologies. In this paper, the term ‘methodology’ covers both the actual methods used and the approach to the design of a future study (ie how different methods may be combined).
Futures thinking explained - I&DeA Knowledge
An improvement and development website for local councils in Britain. It provides some straightforward and easy to read information on futures thinking such as, what is futures thinking, why is it important and when and where it is useful.
Futures thinking techniques - I&DeA Knowledge
The I&DeA Knowledge website has some great resources that explain four different futures thinking techniques. The website has step by step processes for futures basing, creativity techniques, systematic inventive thinking and scenarios with examples and PDF downloads.
Publications
HENLEY
CENTRE, 2001, Understanding
Best Practice in Strategic Futures Work, A report for the Performance
and Innovation Unit, UK
This report summarises some of the best practice currently employed in futures thinking and how to utilise this approach in policy making. The study includes examples of best practice from national and international academic institutions, businesses and public sector organisations.
The
Future Belongs to Those Who… a guide for thinking
about the future, Institute for Alternative Futures
Provides information about the methods futurists use to study the future.
Creative
waves, A National College for School Leadership, 2003 discussion
paper on future schools
A discussion paper on future schools, it describes the key features of the studies undertaken by five school leaders and identifies the steps school leaders might take to implement their possible visions for the schools of the future.