2nd Intl. Conference on Future Education – Agenda

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Day 1 – Nov 16, 2017

VENUE: Rome Tre University, Aula Magna del Rettorato, Via Ostiense 159, Rome, Italy

Simultaneous English-Italian translation will be available for the entire day’s program in the main conference hall of the Rectorate of Roma Tre University, Aula Magna del Rettorato, Via Ostiense, 159, Rome, Italy

08:00-09:00:  Registration
09:00-10:00 : Inaugural Welcome

(Main Hall of Rectorate with simultaneous English-Italian translation)

Chair:

Speakers:

10:00- 10:45 Panel on critical issues for the future of higher education

(Main Hall of Rectorate with simultaneous English-Italian translation)

The panel will examine the major challenges confronting education in a rapidly changing, interconnected and increasingly complex society that is emerging in the 21st century. It will identify essential issues that need to be addressed to attune education to better meet societal needs in the coming years.

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10:45-11:15 Break
11:15-12:15: Keynote Address

(Main Hall of Rectorate with simultaneous English-Italian translation)

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12:15-13:00 Call for a New Paradigm in education

(Main Hall of Rectorate with simultaneous English-Italian translation)

This session will consider the need for a radical change in educational accessibility, quality, content, relevance, pedagogy and deliver systems to meet the emerging needs of the 21st century.

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13:00-15:00 Lunch Break

15:00-16:15: Special Plenary Session on Higher Learning for Tomorrow: Challenges Ahead
Organized by Kyung Hee University, Korea (Main Hall of Rectorate with simultaneous English-Italian translation)

Chair:

Welcome:

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16:30 – 17:30 Parallel Sessions – Educational Needs Assessment for Sustainable Futures
16:30 – 17:30 Parallel A – Panel on Education and Societal Needs – Corporations, Unions and Government Perspectives

(Main Hall of Rectorate with simultaneous English-Italian translation)

Representatives of companies, labor unions and government will discuss the changes they think are needed to better attune the educational system to meet the needs of companies for trained workers, the employment needs of workers and job seekers, and the economic and social needs of society at large.

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16:30-17:30 Parallel B – Students’ Perspective of Need for a New Paradigm in Education

Hall 2 of Rectorate in English only

Students from different countries and levels of education will discuss the changes needed to attune the educational system to make it more fully relevant and effective in preparing individuals and society to meet the challenges and opportunities during a period of rapid technological advancement, globalization, cultural integration and accelerating social evolution.

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16:30 – 17:30 Parallel C – Universities’ Perspective of Effective Future Learning

(Hall 3 of Rectorate in English)

University leaders will examine how rapid changes in technology, new learning models and delivery systems, globalization of economy, demography and other factors impact on the need for changes in the structure and functioning of universities in future.

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17:30-18:00 Break

18:00 Short video presentation

18:05-19:00 Reconciling vision of the Future

(Main Hall of Rectorate with simultaneous translation)

Education today confronts challenges to enhance accessibility, quality, affordability, relevance, employability at the local, national and global level. This panel will seek to reconcile the views of business, society, government, students and universities in order to evolve a shared vision of the changes needed in the educational system and the critical issues that need to be explored during the remaining two days of the conference and beyond.

CHAIR:

Remus Pricopie, Former Romanian Minister of Education; Rector, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania; Fellow, WAAS, (Romania)

REPORTS AND PANEL DISCUSSION FROM THE THREE PARALLEL SESSIONS:

Ivana Lazarovski, Master Student, Sapienza University, Rome; Junior Fellow, WAAS (Serbia)
Title: Students’ Perspective of Need for a New Paradigm in Education

Donato Kiniger-Passigli, Head of the Crisis Unit of the International Labor Organization, specialized agency of the United Nations; Fellow, WAAS (Switzerland)
Title: Corporations, Unions and Government Perspectives

Roberto Poli, Associate Professor, Philosophy of Science, University of Trento, Italy; Fellow, WAAS (Italy)
Title: Universities’ Perspective of Effective Future Learning

19:00 Close of Day 1

Day 2 – Nov 17, 2017

VENUE: Roma Tre University, Dipartimento Scienze della Formazione, Via Principe Amedeo, 184

LOCATION: Roma Tre University, Dipartimento Scienze della Formazione, Via Principe Amedeo, 184, Rome, Italy

Simultaneous English-Italian translation will be available for the entire day’s program in the main conference hall on the first floor

9:00-10:45 PARALLEL SESSIONS – 1A TO 1F
1A – Mind, Thinking, Creativity — Dubrovnik report

(Main conference hall)

Every solution to an intractable problem or fresh mental discovery – scientific, social or personal–arises from a change in the way we think. This session will examine the conclusions of a recent three-day roundtable organized by WAAS and WUC on Mind, Thinking and Creativity and their implications for changes in the way we teach and learn.

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1B – Roundtable on Education for the 4th Industrial Revolution

Classroom 1 – English Only

This session will examine how education has to evolve in order to meet the challenges and benefit from the opportunities opened up by the 4th Industrial Revolution.

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1C – Online & Hybrid Learning

Classroom 2 – English Only

Technology integrates itself more and more into every aspect of education, and the internet opens up new learning models. This session looks at ways to harness emerging technologies to enhance the reach, quality, affordability and effectiveness of education.

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1D – Education, Economy and Society 

Classroom 3 – English Only

Education is a critical element of economic and social development. Prevailing social science theories exert an immense impact on the way our economic, political and social systems function. This session will examine how the fragmentation of academic disciplines and the disconnect between academia and society impact on social outcomes and how the gaps can be filled.

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1E – Education, Democracy & Peace

Classroom 4 – English Only

Democracy and peace are positively co-related to education. This session will examine the interlinks between them and discuss ways in which each can be promoted to strengthen the others.

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1F – Value-based Education

Classroom 5 – English Only

Universal human values form the bedrock of human civilization and culture, yet in its quest for scientific objectivity, modern academic education has been largely sanitized of this essential cultural wisdom. This session will examine the appropriate place of values in education and ways to restore the place of values that promote individual and collective human welfare and well-being.

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10:45-11:15 Break
11:15-13:00 Parallel Sessions: 2A to 2F
2A – Education for Entrepreneurship 

Main Conference Hall — simultaneous English-Italian translation

At a time when salaried employment opportunities are unable to keep up with the growth of the global labor force, an educational system that equips job seekers is no longer sufficient. Entrepreneurship plays a critical role in innovation, new business development and job creation. This session will explore how education can impart the entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial spirit and skills which will enable youth to gainfully employ themselves while creating new jobs for others.

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2B – Active, Collaborative learning — Teaching Methods 

Classroom 1 – English Only

Learning is an active social process spurred by the awakening of curiosity and seeking for knowledge, rather than mere passive reception, memorization and understanding. This session will discuss methods to promote active, collaborative teaching and learning methods and ways to overcome the challenges of transforming the conventional delivery system at all levels of education.

Chair:

David Perkins, Professor of Teaching and Learning, Emeritus, Harvard Graduate School of Education (USA)

Rapporteur:

Sara Isakovic, Olympic Silver Medalist (Slovenia) ; Performance Director, Fitsmind (Norway)

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2C – Person-Centered Education 

Classroom 2 – English Only

Education consists of educating the whole person, not merely imparting information and developing intellectual capacities. This session will discuss the need and means for shifting from subject-centered to person- centered education, and potential benefits of such a transformation.

Chair:

Renzo Cianfanelli, New York UN-based correspondent-at-large, Corriere della Sera; Visiting scholar, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C (USA)

Rapporteur:

Maddalena Vagnarelli, Faculty, Person-Centered Approach Institute (Italy)

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2D – Early Childhood Learning 

Classroom 3 – English Only

This session will examine the crucial place of early childhood learning in human development and examine best practices to enhance educational outcomes at this level.

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2E – Human Rights, Social Power & Education

Classroom 4 – English Only

Education plays a vital role in empowering the individual and the collective. This session will look at education in the context of human rights and social power.

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2F – Learning to Think Creatively

Classroom 5 – English Only

The human being is the source of unlimited creative potential, and contains within him/herself the solution to all pressing global challenges. This session will examine ways in which teachers and teaching methods can enhance the development and release of students’ creative potential.

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13:00-14:00 Special Demonstration

Classroom 3 – English OnlyDemonstrating the Technique for Alleviating the Human Interaction, increasing wellbeing and serving the sustainable development goals

13:00-15:00 Lunch

Press Conference

15:00-16:30 Parallel Sessions: 3A to 3F
3A — Multiculturalism & Education

Main Conference Hall — simultaneous English-Italian translation

This session will discuss how education must equip students to understand, appreciate, adapt to, benefit from and accomplish in an increasingly diverse, globalized, multicultural world.

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3B – Innovation, Creativity and Technology

Classroom 1 – English Only

This session will study the complex nexus between technology, creativity and innovation, and examine ways in which their combined power can be developed through education and harnessed to promote human welfare and sustainable development.

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3C – Education, Health & Sustainability – Sustainable Development Goals

Classroom 2 – English Only

Health and sustainable development, both for the individual and society, are critical for the survival and harmonious development of humanity today and in future. This session will study ways in which education can contribute towards the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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3D – La creazione di comunita’ di apprendimento autoregolanti Creating Self-regulating Learning Communities (Italian) 

Classroom 3 – Italian Only

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3E – Complexity, Unity & Uncertainty 

Classroom 4 – English Only

This session will examine how educational pedagogy can and must accommodate and integrate the principles of complexity, unity and uncertainty, in theory, pedagogy and application in order to equip students to cope with and thrive in an increasingly complex, interconnected global society.

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3F – Individuality & Transformational Leadership

Classroom 5 – English Only

True education allows every individual’s inner capacities to develop to their fullest extent. This session will examine the pedagogy and best practices in education to develop well-formed responsible individuals who can thrive harmoniously and lead society into a better future.

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16:30-17:00 Break
17:00-18:30 Parallel Sessions: 4A to 4F
4A – Education for Full Employment

Main Conference Hall — simultaneous English-Italian translation

Can a transformation of the educational system fill the skills shortage and promote full employment for all job seekers? Rapid social evolution is transforming the job market rapidly and in unpredictable ways. Many existing jobs will disappear in the near future. All others will be transformed radically. Many new types of jobs will be created which we cannot even identify at this point in time. This session will discuss ways in which education needs can address the challenges of the fast changing job market and equip all students with the capacity for gainful employment.

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4B – Education, Science & Innovation

Classroom 1 – English Only

Education serves humanity by promoting scientific innovation that promotes knowledge acquisition and dissemination that enhances human security, welfare and well-being. This session will discuss the changes needed to enhance the quality and relevance of education for scientific discovery, application and innovation.

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4C – Theoretical Experiential Workshop & Film on Gregory Bateson & System Thinking (Classroom 2)

Classroom 2 – English Only

This is a workshop and documentary film on System Thinking, and Gregory Bateson, who helped extend systems theory and cybernetics to the social and behavioral sciences.

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4D – Transdisciplinary Education

Classroom 3 – English Only

This session will examine the need for education to transcend the boundaries and barriers of silo based traditional disciplines, and equip youth with the comprehensive perspective and integrated knowledge needed to anticipate and adapt to future innovations and complexities.

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4E -Transition to a New Paradigm in Education

Classroom 4 – English Only

This session seeks to envision the unfolding future of the world and the changes in higher education needed to support evolution towards the best possible future. It will examine the changes needed in educational delivery, content, pedagogy and practice in order to implement quality, affordable, active, person-centered, learning.

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4F – Global and Local Education Classroom 5 – Italian Only

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20:30 Social Dinner open for all (please register in advance)

Day 3 – Nov 18, 2017

VENUE: Roma Tre University, Dipartimento Scienze della Formazione, Via Principe Amedeo, 184

LOCATION: Main conference hall on the first floor of Roma Tre University, Dipartimento Scienze della Formazione, Via Principe Amedeo, 184, Rome, Italy

Simultaneous English-Italian translation will be available for the whole day

PANEL | REPORTS OF THE SESSIONS ON NOVEMBER 17TH & DISCUSSION

Rapporteurs from sessions held on November 17, 2017 will present their reports in the following sessions. Each session will be followed by discussion and synthesis.

09:00-09:10 Introduction to the panel reports
09:10-09:50 Education, Democracy, Culture & Human Values

CHAIR:

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9:50-10:30 Education, Economy, Science & Technology

CHAIR:

SPEAKERS:

10:30-11:10 Mind, Thinking, Creativity and Innovation

CHAIR:

SPEAKERS:

11:10-11:40 Break
11:40-12:20 New Paradigm in Pedagogy

CHAIR:

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12:20-13: 00 Transition to a New Paradigm

CHAIR:

Ivo Šlaus, Honorary President, World Academy of Art & Science; Dean, Dag Hammarskjold University College of International Relations and Diplomacy (Croatia)

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13:00-15:00 Lunch Break
15:00-15:30 Student Presentations
15:30-16:30 Keynote

CHAIR:

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16:30-17:00 Special address (online)

CHAIR:

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17:00-17:45 Premier of Enseignez à vivre ! – Edgar Morin et l’Education Innovate by Abraham Ségal

In French (Main conference hall with English translation)

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17:45-18:00 Concluding Session

CHAIR:

18:00 End of conference and departures
19:00-22:00 WAAS General Assembly and Dinner (For WAAS Fellows only)