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Thinking with a Futures Perpective

Society's need to anticipate and plan for the future has never been more keenly felt than it is today. Thinking with a futures perspective is not a new activity, although crystal balls, ouija boards and astrological charts have been supplemented by more sophisticated methods of predicting and forecasting the future. Parker (1988) notes that the term futurology was first used in 1943 by a German political scientist, Ossip K. Flechtheim. He defined futurology as an interdisciplinary and scientific study of the future. Since the term was introduced, world events continue to demand the development of futuristic thinking in scientists, social scientists, political leaders, and educators. Educators know that they cannot prepare young people to live in a society similar to their own, and many say that we need to prepare students for a world that we do not know. Yet, most educational systems remain geared to the needs of today rather than the future, and this represents a major dilemma in education. This article examines the theory and practice of developing futures study for high ability students.