SCHOOLS OF THE FUTURE – REVIEW OF DELPHY STUDY ON ALTERNATIVE FUTURES OF SCHOOL

Abstract

Concerning relevant questions what modern education should be in order to respond to theneeds of life in the twenty-first century?, what school should be in order to help students to preparefor the intense development and the uncertain future of the modern world (known as the risk society)?,and should education be preparing for certain futures (official and unofficial) as they areseen by „important „experts, or education should aim at creating preferred visions of futures?, the authors look for the answers in futurology of education. Importance of futurological studiesof education lies in the fact that every approach to educational reforms is inherently based on thehidden ideas of the future. Relying on principles of futuristic pedagogy, which in the study offutures of education takes into account changing contexts of modern and future life of civilization,the authors present the results of futuristic Delphi study carried out with the aim of identifyingpotential alternatives of future schools.

In the second part of the paper authors briefly present results of the Delphi study realized atthe international, expert sample of intensity, with an aim of exploring alternative preferred visionsof futures of schools. The authors suggest that critical analysis of the future of education is necessaryin order to expose imposed scenarios of the future and create alternative models of schoolsof the future, making the distinction between the probable, possible, desirable and planned futureeducation. In the paper, authors shortly presented three identified desirable models of schools ofthe future – Integrated School, School of Continuity and Global Child Centered School.