2009, Plenary: Sunday 9:00-10:30

Since the end of the Cold War, a distressing number of countries around the world have fallen into chaos and have become failing states. More often than not these countries have been torn by civil war based on religion, ethnicity, tribalism, power sharing, or a combination thereof. One of the terrible consequences of these conflicts has been massive humanitarian crisis.

Teaching has always been, to a greater or lesser extent, a way of building bridges between the past, the present and the future. This challenge requires a critical reading by teachers of the conditions under which their duties are performed and the influence of their actions.

The last five years has provided an onslaught of knowledge about the functioning of the human brain. This work has confirmed some long standing theories and disproved others. Because of the significant steps in scanning techniques that can image a brain while it is working, we can make more informed and accurate recommendations for anyone involved in working with the owners of the human brain.

In 2007, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills identified a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces.