Search

Purpose: This paper aims to introduce, unpack, explore, make sense and share Hiraya Foresight via the Engaged Foresight approach as a futures concept, framework and methodology to reconceptualize foresight and reframe anticipatory processes to enable the self and communities to reimagine visions of the future. This indigenous foresight process offers to strip the husk and break the shell of conscious, colonial anticipation and reveal and liberate unconscious imagination that enables ethical aspirations to emerge. Design/methodology/approach: This paper introduces and examines the context, purpose and process of the four waves of the Hiraya Foresight Framework via the Engaged Foresight approach. These were constructed through the use of the Engaged Foresight approach, through workshops, a literature review and an action–learning approach. The first wave, lawak, looks into the breadth of foresight. The second wave, lalim, looks into the depth of foresight. Tayog, the third wave, looks into the peak of foresight. Finally, the fourth wave of foresight kababaang-loob contemplates the nature, values and wisdom of foresight. Findings: This paper shares the processes, experiences and impacts through five case studies where the Hiraya Foresight Framework via the Engaged Foresight approach was applied. This paper shares the impacts of Hiraya Foresight in democratizing and indigenizing futures literacy. Originality/value: This paper describes and offers Hiraya Foresight via the Engaged Foresight approach as an indigenous approach to decolonize futures studies and foresight practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Strategic foresight is gaining traction for anticipating changes in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world—one which will require different mindsets and approaches. Yet international development co‐operation practitioners have been slow to adopt foresight. Purpose: What promises and pitfalls should development practitioners consider in order to integrate strategic foresight into their work? Methods and approach: We review the literature on strategic foresight applied to development. We draw on reflections from the articles included in this special issue. We incorporate the International Development Research Centre's experiences and early insights on the use of foresight for development. Findings: Strategic foresight provides tools to anticipate long‐term and potentially disruptive change. To apply the approach effectively, organizations need to understand the debates about foresight. But no one size fits all: organizations must identify where and how foresight can best be used; be clear on its purpose, use, and end‐users; be sensitive to how foresight intersects with broader calls for decolonizing development and the future; and should adapt methods to different sociocultural contexts. Connecting foresight practitioners and international development actors to explore potential synergies between these two worlds offers opportunities to innovate. Policy implications: Traditional, short‐term strategic planning, and reactive responses to emerging crises, are increasingly ill‐suited to a VUCA world. To be fit for the future, international development actors must consider adding proactive longer‐term anticipatory planning—that accommodates more systematic understanding and appreciation of plausible futures—to reactive responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Zealand's Public Service Act 2020 requires departmental chief executives to give a long-term insights briefing (LTIB) to their respective ministers at least once every three years. The LTIBs must provide 'information about medium- and long-term trends, risks, and opportunities that affect or may affect New Zealand', along with 'information and impartial analysis, including policy options' to address the matters raised. The first suite of LTIBs were prepared during 2022-23. This article assesses the first round of LTIBs, giving particular attention to how they identified future risks and opportunities and the extent to which they adopted robust foresight techniques. Based on this analysis, we suggest how the process for preparing future LTIBs might be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we explore the intersection of creativity, education, and technology, with a focus on the impact of Generative AI (GenAI). We delve into the transformative potential of GenAI in redefining educational and creative processes and challenging our existing notions of learning and creativity. Through a conversation with renowned creativity researcher Dr. Ronald Beghetto, we thematically explore how GenAI redefines educational and creative processes and challenges conventional notions of learning and creativity. Dr. Beghetto's work highlights a shift from fearing failure to embracing possibility thinking, advocating for a mindset that views creativity as a dynamic interplay of potential and adaptability. His recent work with GenAI tools illustrates their role as catalysts for possibility thinking, pushing the boundaries towards future-oriented thought and innovation. GenAI can function in multiple ways—including as a reflection of human intellect and values, and as a collaborative partner that enriches human creativity with its unpredictability and generative capabilities. We emphasize the importance of direct, critical, and creative engagement with GenAI in educational settings, cautioning against its passive or uncritical use, and advocating for a balanced approach that leverages its strengths while remaining aware of its limitations. Sharing several possibility thinking tools he has created, Dr. Beghetto offers readers a nuanced perspective on the role of GenAI in education and creativity, advocating for a future where these tools are used responsibly and creatively to unlock new possibilities and enhance human potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Futures workshop is a participatory futures research method for producing views on futures and facilitating transformation and empowerment. Since different workshop methods are generally considered to have many advantages, they are widely used in various futures contexts. However, there is little knowledge on how futures participation entails empowerment for thinking and acting on futures. This paper studies participants’ futures thinking and action in relation to their workshop experience. As psychological constructs for engaging with futures, the concepts of human agency and futures consciousness are used for the analysis. The study examines two futures workshops organized in Finland for farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector using the futures consciousness scale pre-post survey, an open-ended follow-up survey, and thematic interviews. The results of the study show that although there was no statistically significant change in futures consciousness, the workshop experience is absorbed into participants’ daily reality, provoking their uses of futures. By analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, it is thus concluded that the ways in which futures participation empowers futures thinking and action are not, and should not be held, evident. Therefore, it is proposed that regarding their empowerment assumptions, participatory futures methods should perform deeper self-consideration as anticipatory practice.

This article argues for exploring, connecting, and applying utopian imagination, speculative design, and planetary thinking as a way forward for higher education to reimagine and move towards more hopeful planetary futures. It examines hopepunk and solarpunk perspectives on possible futures to propose a design agenda for rewidening and rewilding higher education and educational technology with utopian imagination. Firstly, the article outlines and develops a framework for wider and wilder futures in higher education, emerging from utopian thinking and desire. Secondly, it connects hopepunk with speculative design and solarpunk with planetary design to highlight and put forward rebellious strategies of hope in envisioning more preferable futures. Thirdly, it approaches the field of educational technology within the context of wide and wild education to establish four planetary orientations concerning educational technology: Higher Education for, in, with, and by the world. Taken together, the article proposes a design agenda for educational technology that integrates utopian imagination and solarpunk practices with planetary educational technology to catalyse the development of more preferable futures in a more-than-human world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era of worsening environmental crises, students may not perceive themselves as able to impact and change the inevitably upcoming futures. Accordingly, a common goal of educational systems has been to develop students' agency beliefs and sensemaking in a complex world. Simultaneously, students are facing unprecedented levels of future anxiety, and educational institutions undervalue the importance of futures thinking. To take on a constructive approach on futures thinking, we examine how students’ systems thinking skills develop during a futures education course in which they write their own visions of a hopeful future. By looking at the thematic spheres of society, nature, and technology, we analyse how students develop systemic understandings of the complex system that is the context of the study: the city of the future. The study examines how students’ written future visions develop throughout the course, and how those changes indicate development in systems thinking. The results show that the futures education course allowed students to improve their understandings of the interconnectedness of the topics they raised, fostering more complete and active understandings of the futures, here shown through the multidimensional development of systems thinking. Students developed a deeper understanding of the interrelationships of society, nature, and technology, and advanced understandings of the pathways to change and the actions needed to achieve their futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research initiative titled "About Time" undertaken at the Institute of Art, Design + Technology (IADT) in Ireland, sought to develop and assess design-led methods aimed at shaping and influencing attitudes towards the long-term future. The primary focus was influencing behaviours concerning individual futures and the planet. This study encompassed exercises and experiences to explore the intricate connections between past and future, delving into the multidimensional nature of time, art and creativity. Additionally, it aimed to foster positive futures and long-term thinking, reflect on ways to respond to global uncertainty, effect transformative change, and open new dimensions of understanding. The outcome of this research is The Barometer - a template of a journal/sketchbook intended to facilitate deep contemplation of the subject of time and the futures. Filled with creative tasks and prompts, it serves as a vehicle and tool to enhance futures literacy in participants. Seamlessly blending foresight, art, and creativity it extends a playful invitation to engage in reflection, futures thinking, speculation, and world-building. It also serves as a starting point for fostering long-term thinking, by establishing a close emotional connection to future generations, as well as nature connectedness, while addressing the challenges posed by the climate emergency. In this reflection, the author of the study offers insights into the research process, the underlying concept of the journal, and feedback obtained from the test group. The reflection delves into the synergy of creativity and art with future-focused journaling portraying it as a means to enhance futures literacy capabilities. Furthermore, this approach represents a significant stride in fostering sustainable practices and holds the potential to become a robust support tool for resilience, particularly in the face of uncertainties, trauma, and challenging circumstances. Further details: https://pdl.iadt.ie/programme/about-time/ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on the transformative nature of generative AI (GenAI) tools for teaching and teacher education, both reflecting on current innovation and consider future potentials and challenges. In that sense, we aim to position the field of education going forward with the implications of new technologies like GenAI for education and educational research. We argue the need for a dual-lens approach. First and foremost, practice and research should focus on the here-and-now, i.e. how to design powerful learning experiences for pre-service and in-service teachers for them to be productive, creative, critical, and ethical users. But there is also a need for a deeper, longer view—based on sociological and historical trends and patterns that will influence the socio-techno-cultural matrix within which education functions in the long term. We begin with a brief introduction to GenAI technologies. This is followed by an in-depth discussion of the fundamental nature of GenAI tools—their similarities and differences to prior technologies, and the implications for teacher education and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Futures workshop is a participatory futures research method for producing views on futures and facilitating transformation and empowerment. Since different workshop methods are generally considered to have many advantages, they are widely used in various futures contexts. However, there is little knowledge on how futures participation entails empowerment for thinking and acting on futures. This paper studies participants' futures thinking and action in relation to their workshop experience. As psychological constructs for engaging with futures, the concepts of human agency and futures consciousness are used for the analysis. The study examines two futures workshops organized in Finland for farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector using the futures consciousness scale pre-post survey, an open-ended follow-up survey, and thematic interviews. The results of the study show that although there was no statistically significant change in futures consciousness, the workshop experience is absorbed into participants' daily reality, provoking their uses of futures. By analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, it is thus concluded that the ways in which futures participation empowers futures thinking and action are not, and should not be held, evident. Therefore, it is proposed that regarding their empowerment assumptions, participatory futures methods should perform deeper self-consideration as anticipatory practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era of worsening environmental crises, students may not perceive themselves as able to impact and change the inevitably upcoming futures. Accordingly, a common goal of educational systems has been to increase students' agency and sensemaking in a complex world. Simultaneously, students are facing unprecedented levels of futures anxiety, and educational institutions undervalue the importance of future thinking. To take on a constructive approach on futures thinking, we examine how students’ systems thinking skills develop during a futures education course in which they write their own visions of a hopeful future. By looking at the thematic spheres of society, nature, and technology, we analyse how students develop systemic understandings of the complex system that is the context of the study: the city of the future. The study examines how students’ written futures visions develop throughout the course, and how those developments indicate development in systems thinking. The results show that the futures education course allowed students to improve their understandings of the interconnectedness of the topics they raised, fostering more holistic and active understandings of the futures, here shown through the multidimensional development of systems thinking. Students developed a deeper understanding of the interrelationships of society, nature, and technology, and developed understandings of the pathways to change and the agency and action needed to achieve their futures.

This article features an interview with Dr. Andrew Maynard, a professor at Arizona State University, discussing the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and creativity. Dr. Maynard emphasizes the importance of responsible innovation and taking a long-term view when considering the impact of AI on learning. He highlights the relationship between creativity and innovation, stating that creativity is essential for generating novel ideas that lead to innovative products. Dr. Maynard also discusses the potential of AI for generative collaboration between humans and machines, and how it can inspire curiosity and creativity. He concludes by emphasizing the need for education to support the building blocks of creativity and innovation, such as wonder, curiosity, and joy. The article also addresses the impact of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, on education, discussing both the potential benefits and concerns. It emphasizes the importance of responsible innovation, diverse voices, and education in shaping the future of AI. The article acknowledges the challenges and uncertainties that come with technological advancements but expresses optimism about the potential for positive change. [Extracted from the article]

The current study examined the effects of an intervention developing Futures Thinking Literacy (FTL) among middle school gifted and regular students. Study participants (N = 877) were divided into gifted students studying in separate classes, gifted students studying in pullout centers, and regular students. The quantitative research applied a pre-post 6 by 2 design, when the research group experienced an intervention using the multidimensional curriculum model and the control group studied traditionally. A validated FTL questionnaire applied in the study was comprised of two open questions and 50 statements relating to the cognitive, and social-emotional aspect of FTL. Results indicate that both gifted and regular students from the research group improved their futures thinking and overall FTL. Students from gifted classes preferred more challenging activities, a better learning experience, and more knowledge acquisition. Implications regarding teacher preparation in the field of gifted education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simplicity of the futures triangle as a foresight mapping methodology belies its brilliance to draw out complex phenomena and ingenious ways of seeing the future. In the hands of those who eagerly and sincerely wish to discover profound and authentic futures, the method provides an elegant way to surface the obscure and emergent conditions of change from the past, present, and the future. Apart from being a scanning technique for foresight practitioners to activate the future in the present, it bestows upon its users an introspective and experiential journey of flow against the riptides of inertia and the stagnancy of default. The futures triangle provides an anchor for understanding how the three facets of the future influence the way we imagine possibilities and infer meaning from the interplay of hindsight, insight, and foresight. As a tool for building foresight capacity, it increases the capability to map, make sense, and connect the drivers of change among three time horizons. Through analyzing and questioning the dynamics and tensions of change, issues are collectively framed and contextualized from the community's perspective. The shared experience from participants of workshops and facilitated conversations accentuates the usefulness of foresight in their field of work through a better understanding of futures thinking, gaining through effort a panoramic future view of consequential issues, and realizing that enacting the future is a necessity. This reflective piece on the Futures Triangle shares the authors' insights, cases, and views on the value and the futures of the method. It offers suggestions on how to thoughtfully facilitate a purposeful and enriching Futures Triangle workshop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our futures are always dying and there are futures always being born. There is a liminal space in which we stand and experience both those deaths and births which send ripples through our multiplex systems. Drawing upon fields and tools such as thanatology, neuroscience, and trauma-informed care may allow us frameworks with which to manage not just how we think about the future but also how we feel about the future. There is a hallowed ground where the births and deaths of our futures exist and it takes both courage and creativity to stand there. As futurists, our job is often to sit bedside with others as they nurse and hospice their futures - both imagined and unimagined. Recognizing the skill needed to serve as container for individuals, systems, and the world requires something new from the field of Foresight and its practitioners. With the shocking, global loss from the Covid-19 pandemic, related individual micro-loss, the continuing climate decline partnered with increasing disruption, the world stands on the precipice of new understanding around grief and hope. Thoughtful consideration here allows us to better anticipate futures death and the transitional grief that often accompanies change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science educators highlight the importance of developing systems thinking (ST) and futures thinking (FT) for students to make decisions and to be active citizens that address socioscientific problems. The dimensions related to FT take in this study were three implied in ST and two in the appropriation of the future. The aim of this study is to analyse the level of FT-related dimensions developed by a group of pre-service elementary teachers and how far different activities designed to foster them were effective. Written explanations presented by the participants about the origin of pandemics and possible ways to prevent them, as well as videos developed by small groups with the goal to present a campaign for avoiding future pandemics, were analysed. Based on the literature, five dimensions and up to four levels of performances were identified. After completing the activities, participants were able to relate the three spheres of the "One Health" notion to explain the causes of pandemics. Moreover, they established complex cause-effect relationships between the different factors, although they only constructed monocausal relationships when proposing measures. Participants improved their performance in anticipating the future and identifying themselves as agents of change. The elaboration of concept maps facilitated the development of components and behaviour ST dimensions, and the design of the campaign allowed participants to identify themselves as agents of change. The use of these strategies in science education can contribute to the development of a citizenry capable of understanding and acting on systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No one can predict the future but having a futures thinking framework is an important tool in any leader's toolbox. Futuring is a systematic process for envisioning plausible outcomes and scenarios based on what we know today. Some trends on the horizon will become more prominent while others will recede and giving the possibilities consideration helps us understand why we do what we do. Leaders capable of futures thinking are better equipped to handle the incredible rate of change that is taking place around us, including both predictable and unpredictable drivers of change. This article presents several futuring methods and discusses their implications for library leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutions (HEIs) must navigate diverse stakeholder interests and align their efforts towards a common goal to sustainably fulfill their missions. Co-creating visions is a promising approach to developing shared visions and thus aligning stakeholders’ interests. However, there is a lack of methodological guidance to support individual institutions during these co-creation processes. To address this gap, this paper aims to understand the impact of providing external methodological support to co-create visions with a multi-stakeholder approach. It investigates the perceived benefits and challenges of the co-creation process, the key factors that contribute to its success, and how student participation is perceived in the process. The co-creation program was evaluated with 30 participants from 11 institutions that took part in the program. The results show that a systematic and moderated co-creation of visions supports stakeholders in clarifying their contribution to achieving a better future for higher education.

As humans we are urged to imagine and realise radically different, more desirable, and most importantly more sustainable futures (Hulme 2020; Pereira et al. 2019). However, the dominance of dystopian scenarios of irreversible environmental and social collapse, along with business- as-usual scenarios, hinder progress and contribute to a gap in futures literature relating to imagining desirable visions for humanity and how to reach them (Bennett et al. 2016; Rana et al. 2020). In this short paper, I share an experiential, meditation-inspired visioning exercise that can aid in enhancing people’s capacity to envision desirable and motivational futures.

This paper presents the conceptual framework for positioning a government-funded higher education institution (HEI)in the Philippines as a regenerative university. It grounds the notion that academia should rethink and redefine Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through regenerative development and futures thinking. While Davao Oriental is home to a rich biological, social, and cultural heritage, this paper outlines how an academic institution can contribute to its protection, conservation, management, and regeneration. The end goal is to mainstream regenerative futures in the university’s four-fold functions: instruction, research, extension, and production. Consequently, the paradigm shift aims to influence local communities to engage in a shared regenerative future that would equally benefit the environment and human societies.

This article presents the almost century-long history of the development of futures studies in a comprehensive review. Futures studies, rooted in sociology and policy sciences, had become an academic discipline by the 1960s. One of the major global communities representing the discipline, the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF), celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023. In the 1970s, the focus was placed on discourses on global problems and preferred futures. Futures studies then developed a global institutional community and become a mature discipline by the 1980s and 1990s. Futurists by then had already mutually shared theoretical perspectives, objectives, ethics, and methods, and had produced empirical results. A wide range of comprehensive publications at that time synthesized the foundations and preceding results of futures studies. From the turn of the millennium, active discourse took place on the forthcoming role of futures studies. By that time, the theoretical, methodological, and practical knowledge foundations of the discipline had also appeared in internationally well-documented curricula. Since around 2010, the discipline has been characterized by the development of practical foresight projects. Based on notable trends and identified research gaps, this article formulates up-to-date expectations and research directions within which futures studies might develop in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'adaptation' is commonplace in conservation research and practice, but often without a reflection on the assumptions, expectations, or frames of reference used to define goals and actions. Communities of practice (e.g. conservation researchers, protected areas managers) have different interpretations of climate change impacts on biodiversity and different ways of defining, operationalizing and implementing adaptation. Their cognitive and motivational expectations for the future are associated with different paths to reach such desired futures. To understand how adaptation is framed in conservation, we undertook a systematic review with a thematic synthesis of the definitions of the term as used in the academic conservation literature. From a sample of 150 articles, only 36 provided a definition of adaptation. We critically appraised the explicit definitions to identify emergent themes that represent particular adaptation approaches. Themes were then grouped, and each group was assigned to a scholarly tradition, onto-epistemological approach and theoretical perspective. Based on theoretical perspectives on social change, we propose a framework (including individual cognitive basis, social interactions, and openness to alternatives) to analyse how change is framed in the definitions and how the framings influence adaptation options. The grouped themes represent passive, active, or indirect adaptation approaches. We used these themes to generate a conceptual model to guide conservation researchers and practitioners engaged in climate adaptation research, policy and management to aid reflection and understanding of the options available to design adaptation agendas and allow negotiation of diverse interests, views and expectations about the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates about the true purpose of education have increased globally in recent years, with climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating interest in the subject. It has become clear that education systems play a vital role not only in shaping the values, mindsets and ethical behaviours that we need for caring and responsible societies, but also in influencing our everyday interactions with the environment. To that end, wellbeing always concerns the triple nature of self, others and the natural world and there is increasing recognition of the need to move from a primary focus on personal happiness and attainment to a more balanced interest in the optimisation of human flourishing within the context of sustainable and regenerative futures. This article introduces the educational work of the Flourish Project, exploring the degree to which schools need to be understood as living systems and the way curricular frameworks, as they currently stand, may be inadvertently contributing to human languishing rather than flourishing. It explains the thinking behind the Flourish Model and describes the way in which the educational aspect of the Flourish Project hopes to contribute not only to the ongoing debate concerning the role of flourishing in education, but also to the growing global interest in the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) as skills and qualities that are vital for purposeful, sustainable, and productive lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Causal Layered Analysis can help design students to engage with complex societal challenges. Undergraduate design majors differed from non-design majors in learning CLA in a Design Futures course. According to text analysis of student reflections, non-design majors wrote more reflections coded as “design insights” and “thinking structures.” Graduate students with realworld work experience shifted discussions towards practical applications. Undergraduate design majors focused more on “individual reflections,” “CLA details,” and “other” topics. I suggest ways to scaffold student learning to use CLA with design methods and processes and, more broadly, use CLA to think more systematically about complex societal challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Public Service Act 2020 requires departmental chief executives to give a long-term insights briefing (LTIB) to the appropriate minister at least once every three years. In an increasingly uncertain world, there are several ways to explore the future that will unfold over the next decades. At this stage of their development, questions can be asked as to how well the current suite of 19 LTIBs are likely to perform as instruments to help identify implications of probable, possible and preferred futures so that policy responses can be made more anticipatory, adaptable and robust. This article provides a futures-thinking context for considering LTIBs and posits a framework for evaluating (and potentially improving) the full set of LTIB documents once they are all published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This paper aims to illustrate how organisations, especially cultural heritage organisations, can respond to a crisis and plan for recovery when dealing with multiple future uncertainties by applying Futures Thinking techniques. It does this by describing the approach that Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has been taking to plan for recovery and renewal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approach/methodology/design. The paper uses the case study methodology to explore how different Futures Thinking techniques have been used to build flexibility in HES’s work when facing an uncertain future. The paper will also examine how the methodology used in this process will aid the development of a Futures Thinking toolkit and a Virtual Intelligence Hub in support of all HES’s operations. Findings. This paper demonstrates how Futures Thinking techniques, such as scenario planning, can be effectively used to map critical uncertainties and identify business priorities across different possible scenarios for cultural organisations. It does so by illustrating the journey taken so far by HES to embed Futures Thinking techniques in the organisation, how it engaged with these and used them to begin the process of creating resilience and sustainability in its operations during this crisis. Originality/value. Because cultural organisations do not traditionally engage in Futures Thinking, this paper makes the case that such tools are a valuable approach to foreseeing and surviving crises.

The wholistic nature of gardening is an approach to learning that provides opportunities to place science education in a context that also values other ways of knowing and draws on the cognitive, the affective and the spiritual—knowing, feeling, connecting. This paper offers a case study of teaching gardening to primary students at The Old School Community Garden (TOSCG), in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. As experienced science educators, we find that engaging young people in gardening provides them with the opportunity to see the world as a whole, learn science concepts while also addressing local issues such as organic food production. Our focus in this project is the use of the garden as a learning place for Year 1 students (aged 6–7) working with Year 4 students (aged 9–10). We also argue that nature teaching is part of the answer to liveable futures in this time of climate change, pandemics, and the possible crossing of other Earth boundaries. These challenges require educators to focus on futures thinking and transdisciplinary approaches in order to develop the dispositions needed to live in the present with a well-formed idea of where we want to go. Learning the science of gardening is clearly a central aspect—soil science, biological science, ecosystem management and a sustainable food supply.