Changing Schools for a Changing World?

This article is an overview of futures-oriented curriculum trends within a context of global social change. It uses as a stimulus Angelica, a hypothetical 21st century girl, who realises that deep educational and socio-cultural changes are needed to improve and sustain her interconnected worlds. It then considers a selection of educational trends addressing Angelica’s concerns, in that they have the potential to change the form, delivery and content of education in a fundamental way. The trends – innovative pedagogic practices oriented around curricular visions widely adopted – are: (i) intercultural education which reshapes learning and teaching (ii) education for sustainability (iii) information technologies, multiliteracies and learning for the future, and (iv) the convergence of learning for work, study and leisure. The chapter explores how these trends could change future schools and classrooms in ways that could bring us closer to a sustainable planetary future.