Future Wise

How to teach big understandings and the ideas that matter most Everyone has an opinion about education, and teachers face pressures from Common Core content standards, high-stakes testing, and countless other directions. But how do we know what today's learners will really need to know in the future? Future Wise: Educating Our Children for a Changing World is a toolkit for approaching that question with new insight. There is no one answer to the question of what's worth teaching, but with the tools in this book, you'll be one step closer to constructing a curriculum that prepares students for whatever situations they might face in the future. K-12 teachers and administrators play a crucial role in building a thriving society. David Perkins, founding member and co-director of Project Zero at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, argues that curriculum is one of the most important elements of making students ready for the world of tomorrow. In Future Wise, you'll learn concepts, curriculum criteria, and techniques for prioritizing content so you can guide students toward the big understandings that matter. Understand how learners use knowledge in life after graduation Learn strategies for teaching critical thinking and addressing big questions Identify top priorities when it comes to disciplines and content areas Gain curriculum design skills that make the most of learning across the years of education Future Wise presents a brand new framework for thinking about education. Curriculum can be one of the hardest things for teachers and administrators to change, but David Perkins shows that only by reimagining what we teach can we lead students down the road to functional knowledge. Future Wise is the practical guidebook you need to embark on this important quest.

How to teach big understandings and the ideas that mattermostEveryone has an opinion about education, and teachers facepressures from Common Core content standards, high-stakes testingand countless other directions. But how do we know what today'slearners will really need to know in the future? FutureWise: Educating Our Children for a Changing World is a toolkitfor approaching that question with new insight. There is no oneanswer to the question of what's worth teaching, but with the toolsin this book, you'll be one step closer to constructing acurriculum that prepares students for whatever situations theymight face in the future.K-12 teachers and administrators play a crucial role in buildinga thriving society. David Perkins, founding member and co-directorof Project Zero at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, arguesthat curriculum is one of the most important elements of makingstudents ready for the world of tomorrow. In Future Wiseyou'll learn concepts, curriculum criteria, and techniques forprioritizing content so you can guide students toward the bigunderstandings that matter.* Understand how learners use knowledge in life aftergraduation* Learn strategies for teaching critical thinking and addressingbig questions* Identify top priorities when it comes to disciplines andcontent areas* Gain curriculum design skills that make the most of learningacross the years of educationFuture Wise presents a brand new framework for thinkingabout education. Curriculum can be one of the hardest things forteachers and administrators to change, but David Perkins shows thatonly by reimagining what we teach can we lead students down theroad to functional knowledge. Future Wise is the practicalguidebook you need to embark on this important quest.

Acknowledgments ixIntroduction: Learning for Tomorrow 11 Lifeworthy Learning: Where Knowledge Goes in Learners' Lives 72 Learning Agendas: The Mixed Blessings of Achievement, Information, and Expertise 273 Big Understandings: Learning That Matters in Learners' Lives 494 Big Questions: Learning beyond What's Settled and Known 715 Lifeready Learning: Making What's Worth Learning Ready for Life 976 The Seven Seas of Knowledge: Lifeworthy Learning from the Disciplines 1237 Ways of Knowing: Powerful Patterns of Thought from the Disciplines and Beyond 1438 Buckets of Knowledge: Organizing Content across the Years of Education 1719 Big Know-How: Twenty-First-Century Skills and Beyond 19710 Knowledge on the Way to Wisdom 223Notes 251Index 261