Keynote Speakers

Keynote speakers

Ethical Educational Leadership: Decision Making
Prof. Joan Poliner Shapiro, Philadelphia, USA

This presentation will provide a framework to help educators make ethical decisions. It will introduce participants to the Multiple Ethical Paradigms of justice, critique, care and the profession, developed by Joan Poliner Shapiro and Jacqueline A. Stefkovich. It will also provide examples, using two ethical dilemmas, of how to utilize the paradigms. One case will focus on making decisions involving gender issues and the other will deal with deciding what to do under very turbulent conditions. In the latter case, Turbulence Theory, designed by Steven Jay Gross, will be introduced. The hope is that those educators who attend the presentation will feel more confident about making challenging ethical decisions in the future.

Leading learning organization to excellence
Prof. Wessel Ganzevoort, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

First of all we have to understand what an organization is, what is the hidden paradigm. We often talk in post modern words and keep thinking in modern terms. What is a workable metaphor? Organizations as living and learning organisms. Organization developing from hand to brains to hearts and souls. Professionals are more than brains. The starting point of all leadership and organization development is the essence or the soul. How can we develop our essence? Creation or reaction. What is effective leadership in a learning organization and how can we transform our organization into a high performing organization (HPO)? What are the preconditions in which people can let their qualities unfold? The role of trust. And how this contributes to a sustainable world?

Flying in space, for the benefit of Earth
ESA Astronaut, Prof. Christer Fuglesang

Orbiting around Earth, 350 km up in space, and looking down on our beautiful world, one cannot avoid thinking about how fragile it seems in some respects. The atmosphere, in particular, looks very thin. In a space station we have to recycle and reuse as much as possible and sustainability is a prerequisite. In some sense Earth is just a very large space vehicle and many interesting and thoughtful analogies can be made. Humankind might have learnt more about Earth and our place in the universe from observations in space than from any other source of data. Another aspect of space flights is the teamwork and preparations necessary for successful space missions. For example, on ISS we were 13 people from 5 countries and we worked together without the slightest friction solving many problems. You don’t see borders between countries from space and you wish all people on Earth could do the same.

Seminar leader

The midway point of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
Introduction by Prof. Charles Hopkins, York University, Toronto, Canada

The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development has reached the midway point. At the midpoint review held in Bonn, ministers of education and other senior formal education officials from around the world met to capture what had been accomplish, what had been learned to date and what remained to be accomplished in the remaining half Decade. Much of this discussion regarding the way forward for formal education was captured in the Bonn Declaration. This Declaration is a road map drafted by 30 senior officials representing the 6 UN regions worldwide.
Charles Hopkins chaired the drafting committee and will share insight and discuss the key recommendations as they apply to teachers, schools and school systems.