This book is the first in what is anticipated to be a series of books about how Communities of the Future approach ideas and principles to disrupt, create, and transform all sectors of society including education, the economy, healthcare, business, technology and democracy. The focus of this volume is on transformational needs and strategies for rethinking education and leadership at all levels and in all contexts. Beginning with a focus on the current challenges to education and explorations of emerging metaphors and perspectives for the future of education, this book provides useful guidance and explicit activities for creating transformative leaders and learners. With an emphasis on futures learning needs and strategies, master capacity building skills are explored that support new ways of thinking and doing necessary during these times of rapid change.
This book ends with a series of activities designed to facilitate the implementation of master capacity building principles with a variety of groups of individuals. Working towards community and social transformation, these activities support the theoretical and discursive focus of the book on leading and learning futures.
The authors of this book bring a wealth of practical and scholarly backgrounds to inform their thinking and facilitate their ability to communicate to a wide range of audiences. Their differing perspectives and experiences converge to offer the reader a rich array of ideas and understandings of how to create communities of the future.
Learning and Leading in an Age of Transformation
Learning and Leading in an Age of Transformation
Dr. M. Jayne Fleener, Professor and former academic dean, Dr. Fleener has been a part of several Communities of the Future initiatives including working with colleagues at Wake Tech in their Futures Forward initiative. Her two previous books explore postmodern logics and emergent systems change.
Magdalena H. de la Teja, VP Tarrant County College (ret.), works as a consultant, coach and mentor, bringing the critically important perspective of student and community issues to the discussion of transformative learning. She addresses the urgent need to recognize and respond to the realities of underserved, often minoritized communities.
Benita Budd, Professor and Future Forward Fellow at Wake Technical Community College, developed a long-term benchmarking project to promote and implement Master Capacity Building and other futures-oriented concepts as Wake Tech became the founding Future Forward College within the Communities of the Future network.
Emily Moore, Department Head, Communication and Theatre at Wake Technical Community College, brings insights for expanding capacities in diverse groups through Reflective practices and Connectivism. Her projects and publications demonstrate the effectiveness of these approaches that remove the barriers of academic hierarchies, subject matter, and conventional pedagogy.
John Carver, has worked with Communities of the Future developing futures-oriented concepts. As an early Master Capacity Builder, he led his school district into the digital age, and his insights have expanded the capacities of school districts and communities to work together for the betterment of all.
