International Conference                                              DIDACTIC CHALLENGES IV        FUTURES STUDIES IN EDUCATION

Encouraged by a number of challenges that directly or indirectly affect education, we are empowered to predict and explore forthcoming challenges in education, particularly in teaching at all levels of education. While anticipating different scenarios, it is important that we create images of a positive future so that our actions are aligned with the final outcomes of the desired goals. The results of previous research show that positively directed predictions of young people lead the society forward.

Are we focused in our teaching on predicting the role of teachers, educators, professors, pupils and students in the future? Do we anticipate all the ways our role can change in the future? In what social circumstances? How far into the future are we talking about? Is it a time of 10, 50 or 100 years in advance? It is up to us, at this conference, to get as many answers as possible that will help us cope as successfully as possible with the challenges that lie ahead.

Futurological research methods can help us a lot in making more concrete proposals. Nowadays we often use the term futures studies, which, in a scientific way, using a modern methodological approach, allows us to research (predict) the future that has not yet begun. In the range of methods, it is important to select and adapt those that can be most successfully applied in education research, and especially those that we can use in our teaching. Some of the methods are:

Delphi Method, Causal Layered Analysis, Environmental Scanning, Scenario planning, Morphological analysis, Future history, Monitoring, Content analysis, Backcasting, Back-view mirror analysis, Cross impact analysis, Trend analysis, Future workshops, Failure Mode Effects Analysis - FMEA, Measured action, Futures biographies/imagining, Futures wheel, Relevance tree, Simulation and modeling, Social network analysis - SNA, Systems engineering, Visioning, Adaptive role playing, Forecasting.

The conference provides an opportunity for scientists and experts from various fields to question these challenges and share with other participants their theoretical knowledge, research results and practical examples.