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Future focus principle

This resource provides a description, tools, and resources related to the future focus principle as part of The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum.

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  • AudienceSchool leadersBoards of trusteesKaiako
  • Resource LanguageEnglish
  • Resource typeCollection/Curriculum Guide

About this resource

"The curriculum encourages students to look to the future by exploring such significant future-focused issues as sustainability, citizenship, enterprise, and globalisation."

The future focus principle is one of eight principles in The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum that provide a foundation for schools' decision-making. The future focus principle calls for schools and teachers to deliver a curriculum that: 

  • explores future-focused issues 
  • encourages students to recognise that they have a stake in the future and a role and responsibility to help shape it. 
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Future focus principle

Why is the future focus principle important? 

The future focus principle is about supporting students to think about the future in a range of contexts and across all learning areas. 

When teachers are planning their topics or their enquiries, they should always be asking themselves, "How can we get a future focus into this?"

The future focus principle mentions sustainability, globalisation, citizenship, and enterprise as significant future-focused issues. However, schools should not be limited to these four issues.

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Below is a list of tools that could be useful in exploring the future focus principle. These tools include short videos, activities, and opportunities for reflection. 

  • Future focus spotlight 
    This spotlight looks at the future focus principle, helping you design a curriculum around significant future-focused issues. Find short videos, group activities, and opportunities for personal reflection. See Materials that come with this resource to download Spotlight future focus (.ppt) 
  • Science Learning Hub: Futures thinking toolkit 
    The futures thinking toolkit provides a structured framework for developing students’ futures thinking skills. 

Below is a list of general resources that help support the future focus principle. 

  • NZCER: Taking a "future focus" in education – What does it mean? Rachel Bolstad, 2011 
    This working paper explains why the FFI (Future-Focused Issues in Education) project looks at concepts in relation to "future focus" in The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum: sustainability, enterprise, globalisation, and citizenship. It introduces the notion of “wicked problems"—challenges characteristic of the 21st century that intertwine future-focused issues—and what these may mean for society and education. 
  • Science Learning Hub: Teaching futures thinking 
    This article explores the principles of teaching futures thinking and includes examples of student activities and teacher resources.
  • Oxfam: Global Citizenship Guides
    Education for Global Citizenship enables pupils to develop the knowledge, skills, and values needed for securing a just and sustainable world in which all may fulfil their potential. 
  • Future Problem Solving New Zealand 
    This highly regarded and well-researched international educational program develops creative, critical, and caring thinking skills in students in years 1–13. Students grapple with global and community issues, identify underlying problems, and create positive solutions to those issues. 
  • LEARNZ: Online field trips
    LEARNZ is a programme of free virtual field trips, taking students to remote places all over New Zealand, Antarctica, and beyond. Field trips have online video and audio feeds and activities and assist NZ teachers to provide online experiences that are interesting, relevant, real, flexible, safe, and 21st century.

Below is a list of resources that support these key aspects of the future focus principle: sustainability, citizenship, enterprise, and globalisation. 

Sustainability 

  • Enviroschools 
    Enviroschools is an environmental action-based programme where young people are empowered to design and lead sustainability projects in their schools, neighbourhoods, and country. 
  • Pūtātara 
    Incorporating sustainability and global citizenship across the curriculum in Aotearoa New Zealand. This resource supports schools and teachers in developing learning opportunities that are place-based, inquiry-led, and focused on participation for change. 

Citizenship 

  • MYD: Youth Parliament 
    Youth Parliament is an opportunity for young New Zealanders to influence government decision-making as active citizens and have their views heard by key decision-makers and the public.

Enterprise 

  • Young Enterprise 
    Young Enterprise offers a range of enterprise programmes and financial literacy resources that can be used by teachers throughout New Zealand. 

Globalisation