Introduction by Hedley Beare and Richard Slaughter

This book grew out of a common and deep-seated concern. As colleagues on the same faculty, we discovered that we were both using parallel and complementary materials while caught up in a flurry of talks, speeches, and workshops with educators who were worried about some of the trend lines in school reform, about the way young people think of their own future, and about some of the relatively simplistic educational reforms being advocated, often by people with scant comprehension of modern educational practices. (Read more) BEARE, H. & SLAUGHTER, R. A. Education for the 21st Century, Routledge, London: xii + 180 (1993). ISBN: 0-415-11523-X paperback; 0-415-06832-0 hardback.

Here is a mind map of the book (courtesy of artist G. White). It provides a succinct graphic overview of key concepts and themes.

Read the reviews here

The hard copy of this book has been out of print for some time. Given, however, that much of the content of this work is arguably of enduring value (and with Hedley’s consent) a revised and expanded version called Education for the 21st Century Revisited was produced in 2011. It is available here from this site in PDF format. Read the introduction here

Hedley Beare – A Personal Appreciation

I first met Hedley Beare when I came to Melbourne to address the Futures in Education conference during November 1986. Like many others I was immediately struck by his geniality and openness, his quiet manner and generosity of spirit. He was someone you immediately trusted and knew you could rely on. So it was with enormous pleasure that in 1989 I joined his Department at the University of Melbourne as a ‘lecturer in futures and social education.’ Unlike many, then and now, Hedley understood the rational for this particular description and, furthermore, did everything he could to encourage and support it. (Read more)