The futures wheel is a method for graphical
visualisation of direct and indirect
future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that current ...
consequences of a particular change or development. It was invented by
Jerome C. Glenn in 1971, when he was a
student
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementa ...
at the Antioch Graduate School of Education (now
Antioch University New England
Antioch University New England is a private graduate school located in Keene, New Hampshire, United States. It is part of the Antioch University system, a private, non-profit, 501(c)(3) institution that includes campuses in Seattle, Washington; ...
).
The Futures Wheel is a way of organizing thinking and questioning about the future – a kind of structured brainstorming. (Jerome C. Glenn (1994) The Futures Wheel)
Description
To start a futures wheel the central
term
Term may refer to:
* Terminology, or term, a noun or compound word used in a specific context, in particular:
**Technical term, part of the specialized vocabulary of a particular field, specifically:
***Scientific terminology, terms used by scient ...
describing the change to evaluate is positioned in the center of the page (or drawing area). Then, events or consequences following directly from that development are positioned around it. Next, the (indirect) consequences of the direct consequences are positioned around the first level consequences. The terms may be connected as nodes in a tree (or even a web). The levels will often be marked by concentric circles.
Usage
The futures wheel is usually used to organize
thought
In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, an ...
s about a future development or trend. With it, possible impacts can be collected and put down in a structured way. The use of interconnecting lines makes it possible to visualize interrelationships of the causes and resulting changes. Thus, futures wheels can assist in developing multi-concepts about possible future development by offering a futures-conscious perspective and aiding in the group
brainstorming
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members.
In other words, brainstorming is a situation where a grou ...
.
See also
*
Mind map
A mind map is a diagram used to visually organize information into a hierarchy, showing relationships among pieces of the whole. It is often created around a single concept, drawn as an image in the center of a blank page, to which associated r ...
Bibliography
* Glenn, Jerome C. ''Futurizing Teaching vs Futures Course'', Social Science Record, Syracuse University, Volume IX, No. 3 Spring 1972.
* Snyder, David Pearce. Monograph: ''The Futures Wheel: A Strategic Thinking Exercise'', The Snyder Family Enterprise, Bethesda, Maryland 1993.
* Glenn, Jerome C. ''Futures Wheel'', Futures Research Methodology Version 3.0, The Millennium Project, Washington, D.C. 2009.
External links
Learning, Teaching, and Assessment Guide Glossaryat Tasmania's
Department of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
's homepage.
* Downloadable template of
Futures wheelat the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
Global Educationwebsite.
* Futures Wheel, Futures Research Methodology Version 3.0, The Millennium Project, Washington, DC 200
Knowledge representation
Diagrams
Futures techniques
{{future-stub