The next stage

This will depend on the purpose and learning context in which the activity has been used. Some suggestions:

• Students work in their groups to discuss and investigate what their community might look like in 2020 (or a selected year), then, for example:
  • produce a newspaper with editorial, feature article, letters to the editor, sports page for a day in that year
  • produce a video clip describing an aspect of their life.
  • create a MySpace page, write a story or song lyrics as a 16 year old.
• Develop the theme further to reflect on and explore the concepts and challenges to having a sustainable future.
• Have students work in groups to investigate some of the consequences they have identified in greater depth and to make recommendations for planning and actions government, community and individuals can take to manage the changes.
• Work backwards. Students examine the available climatic data for their location and consider if and how the climate or weather patterns have changed over time. They could interview older community members to find out what changes they may have noticed in their lifetime. Does the data support their observations?

Resources

Information about using brainstorming, think, pair, share and futures wheel can be found on the VCAA website at http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/index.html under Quick Links select Teaching and Learning Resources then select Brainstorming and Graphics Organisers.

Information about climate change and climatic data over time is available on the Bureau of Meteorology website http://www.bom.gov.au Select Climate from the horizontal menu and follow the links.

Further information on predicted climate change is found at http://www.csiro.au/
1) Search for the Media Release 'Australian rainfall - a view of the future' (Oct. 4 2007)
2) Follow the link to Climate change in Australia: technical report 2007. Do not be daunted by the 148 page length, there are summaries in manageable chunks under headings, for example 'Key findings'.
Links to a range of print and web-based resources for futures thinking and other related sustainability education resources are provided by the Education for Sustainability (EfS) Portal http://www.aries.mq.edu.au/portal/index.htm > Key EfS docs > Understand EfS > Envisioning
This portal has been developed by Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES)

Related LandLearn activities
The Shepparton Irrigation Region - a natural food bowl
See www.landlearn.net.au > curriculum activities > Food and Food production

Creating Sustainable Futures
A joint project between LandLearn and McDonagh Design, CSF is an innovative approach to teaching and learning sustainability.  It includes OBLIQUE inspirations, a tool for creative thinking that has direct relevance and application in futures thinking.

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