Considerations of Learning Futures are predicated on recognition of the extreme pace of change in contemporary societies and the need for education systems that prepare learners to participate in such dynamic environments. The precepts of active citizenship, which draw upon democratic and humanistic values to emphasise the importance of relationship building and community mindedness, provide both curriculum content for learners and mechanisms for change in school communities. This paper is an ethnographic evaluation of curriculum and pedagogy that examines the culture and perspectives which support active citizenship at Old Yarranlea State School. The paper proposes a metastrategic framework for implementing change, by developing processes that integrate the physical, intellectual, social and emotional components of the school community in a manner that is culturally inclusive, socially sustainable and engaged in the creation and re-creation of democratic principles. The result is an approach to curriculum planning that develops a unique school vision, identity and infrastructure and an approach to pedagogy that is an expansion and application of the curriculum content itself.

Inclusion is a key consideration in Learning Futures. It is a process of addressing a diversity of needs of all learners regardless of individual background. It can be achieved through increasing participation in learning across cultures and communities and thereby reducing the accounts of exclusion within and from education. This paper examines critical approaches to inclusion in Indigenous teacher education in Queensland, Australia. The benefits of culturally aware Indigenous teachers in school classrooms are explored as a means of addressing historically poor outcomes for Indigenous learners and overcoming the legacy of hostility towards schools as tools of white oppression. The empowerment of Indigenous teachers through critical approaches that challenge the status quo cultivates the development of diverse and inclusive teaching skills that are reflected through the employment of inclusive pedagogies. These inclusive pedagogies promote self-determination, which is central to the ultimate achievement of social justice and autonomy. The ultimate aim is to promote culturally sensitive inclusion of Indigenous learners into formal education. Critical theory helps challenge the status quo of Indigenous education and thereby provides a 'place' for alternative thinking and outcomes for the future.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (2000) "Education for All" goals, all students are entitled to opportunities to fulfil their potential. This implies that appropriate programs need to be in place for all children, especially gifted Aboriginal students. Accordingly, this means that all educational institutions in Australia have an obligation to provide involvement and commitment opportunities for all gifted and talented Aboriginal students in meeting their basic learning needs. This goal is not being achieved within Australia. Gifted and talented Aboriginal students have been identified as the most educationally disadvantaged group in the Australian education system (Sydney Morning Herald, 2004). Education for Aboriginal learners varies throughout the states of Australia. While New South Wales has provided excellent modelling of accommodating for inclusion of gifted Aboriginal students, in Queensland the lower representation of Indigenous students in gifted programs suggests inappropriate facilitation. This discussion paper compares and contrasts New South Wales and Queensland gifted Indigenous educational policy, exploring the issues of appropriate identification and programs for gifted Aboriginal students, Aboriginal learning styles and the role of the classroom teacher in accommodating these students.

Inclusivity is a critical component of Learning Futures and a key pillar of the goal of Education for All established in 1990 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (2003b). Consequently, many educational institutions have developed programs and policies of inclusion and non-discrimination which apply to members of the school community. However, discipline-based learning programs are grounded in disciplinary communities, whereby learners accumulate work, internship or cooperative experience in the discipline. In these situations, employers and workplace colleagues are not necessarily bound by school inclusivity policies. There is significant evidence that many workplaces are not inclusive. Placing learners in non-inclusive workplaces as a curricular requirement is contrary to principles of inclusivity and threatens the success of learners from marginalised groups. This paper identifies a number of threats to the participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) learners in discipline-based learning programs. Strategies for improving inclusion of LGBT learners in school mandated workplace placements are presented.

In the 21st century, literacy education is a critical element of Learning Futures in lifelong learning. In particular, information literacy, defined as the ability to retrieve, evaluate and apply information to a stated need, is one of the emerging key areas of literacy education. This paper focuses on the issue of information literacy in the context of lifelong learning for nurses in Canada. Contemporary healthcare environments are dynamic and complex. They are characterised by continual advances in information and communication technologies and by increasing emphasis on service in meeting the demands of clients as consumers. Entry to practice knowledge and skills rapidly become obsolete. Healthcare workers are challenged to develop and maintain information literacy in order to retain currency in such a demanding professional environment. Situativity, considering content, context and purpose, is one of several learner-centred pedagogical approaches that are currently impacting on lifelong learning. This paper examines the suitability of applying situativity to the information literacy needs of staff nurses in a rural hospital setting in Canada.