Berlin (GER) / London (UK), March 2021 - The organisers of Europe's largest conference on learning and technology, OEB Global, are asking for "exciting, imaginative, and unusual ideas" about one of the most important skills of the modern age: resilience. With an overall theme of "Learning Resilience", the conference, which is scheduled to take place in Berlin, 01-03 December 2021, will focus on how individuals, communities, education institutions, and businesses can learn to become resilient, so that they can bounce back from crises in the future.
"The world has been changed forever by the COVID-19 pandemic," says Rebecca Stromeyer, Chair of OEB Global. "It has shown that we need new structures and skills. Schools, colleges, and universities have had to make major changes in the way they deliver education. They have had to learn very quickly, and, for them it has been transformative learning - the sort of learning that changes an institution.
"We're going to be taking stock of all this at OEB Global because we think this sort of rapid change is here to stay, and we all need to learn how to cope with it. We need to learn resilience. We are looking for exciting, imaginative, and unusual ideas about how this can be achieved.
"We are going to be looking at resilience in two ways. First, we'll consider how we can make learning itself resilient. What do we have to do ensure that the institutions, systems, and practice of learning are sufficiently robust, flexible, and adaptable to be able to cope with crises, setbacks and rapidly changing circumstances? What do we have to differently? What can we improve? How can we use technology to ensure that learning can be delivered in the future no matter how great the challenge?
"Then we'll be looking at how we can learn to become resilient. If resilience is a key twenty-first century skill, how can it best be taught? How can we invest in it? How can we ensure that young people are equipped to cope with the shocks of rapid change in the job markets and economies of the future?"
Ms Stromeyer confirmed that OEB Global has now launched its call for papers and is seeking contributions from anyone interested in contributing to the discussion about "Learning Resilience".
"We want to hear from anyone with a proposal, a view, or an interesting idea. Tell us what you've learned from the pandemic. Tell us what you think the rest of us should learn - whether it's schools, colleges, governments, businesses, or other people. We've all got so much to share as a result of our experience of the pandemic."
In a variety of plenary sessions, workshops, discussions, and debates, participants will cover topics including
More information about this year's conference and its themes can be found at the OEB Global website. Anyone who would like to submit a proposal for a presentation, workshop, or session should contact the organisers by 03 May.
