For the past two years College Development Network has curated the Festival of Dangerous Ideas – a festival aimed at re-establishing the importance of ideas as agents of change in education – shifting the axis of what is possible in education.

The festival has been highly successful, but we didn’t think that ‘festival’ with its connotations of celebration and one off events really reflected what we are trying to do.

We have decided to develop the festival into an Emporium of Dangerous Ideas – purveying the finest danger in education.  In fact there will be many emporia where the focus will be on selling, exchanging and creating the education of the future.  Events will be happening across the country, developed and facilitated by a range of partners, but always with the aim of challenging what exists and thinking about how it could be.

Dangerous Conversations

Fancy hosting a ‘dangerous conversation’ in an exciting location between the 9th and 18th June?

As part of the Emporium of Dangerous Ideas 2014, would you be willing to help organise a conversation about the future of Scottish education in an unusual, exciting or challenging environment? It could be talking timetabling on a train through the Highlands; or debating classroom layout round a campfire; maybe creativity in a castle or lecturing on a mountain peak?  The only requirement is that you give partners the chance to talk, think and engage in a space which takes them away from their desks/classrooms.

Building on the success of previous Philosophy Cafes, and Creative Learning Network’s Creative Conversations series, we are eager to continue to promote the importance of creative debate and conversation about the future of education.

We aim to have ‘dangerous conversation’ events across the whole of the country, and we would be delighted if you could host one in an exciting location in your area.

All we ask is that you feedback on the debate, and send some pictures which will be collated into an overall presentation of all of the thoughts, questions and images from across Scotland.

Key questions that are likely to be covered are:

• What will Scottish education look like in the year 2024?
• What is creativity, and what does it mean for us now?
• What is the creative space, and how can it best be used?
• What is the creative lecture, and what is the creative lecturer?
• What is creative learning and what is the creative learning provider?

All we want you to do is sign up as a host, and pitch us the exciting location that will really inspire debate, get people thinking and talking creatively. We hope your event will be arranged and supported through partnerships; however, small amounts of money could be made available if lack of funding is prohibitive. Please include a brief outline of any such requirements you might have.

Please email Karen Lawson your ideas by Friday 14 February 2014.