The 2012 International Seminar will be focused on the much needed reforms of the education system. The previous, VIII seminar gave evidence of many actual problems related to changing nature of learning and teaching, and the ever-more challenging role of teachers (see Closing Remarks)

At the same time, the seminar stated a very narrow margin of action for innovative initiatives within a tightly regulated educational system. The post-seminar survey indicated strong interest of participants to revisit such basic concepts of education as core purpose and goals of education, curriculum, measurements of the outcome and education reforms, in order to analyze their alignment with new global realities of this century.

Responding to these requests, the organizers of the IX International Seminar have chosen a non-traditional approach: while paying attention to each level of education, analyze issues that are identifiable across all levels. By doing this, we were inspired by the vision of UNESCO:

"...to address education in a holistic manner, by promoting a vision of inclusive life-long learning that spans each of different levels of education and considers both formal and non-formal approaches." ( 35 C/5 Approved Programme and Budget 2010-2011, p. 36, 35th General Conference of UNESCO, Paris, May 2009)*

The following questions will be in the focus of the seminar:

• How we articulate the goal of education today? What is its core purpose?
• Does globalization imply standardization? What are trends in education reforms worldwide?
• Curriculum reform: what to teach to learners in a global setting? What will they really need?
• What education can learn from neuroscience research? How brain, mind, and education are connected?
• Technology as the driver for change: is it being used adequately in and out of classrooms? How to advance its potential for enhancing learning?
• Learning as a life-long, life-deep and life-wide process: how we correlate and connect formal and informal learning? How important are social factors for learning?
• Educational evaluation systems: what are the lead trends? Digital assessment: how to change it from inventory tool to a guide for teaching and learning?

As in previous editions of our international seminars, the format of the event aims to be a participatory, highly interactive forum for sharing results of innovative research and practice, collective thinking and high-quality networking. We are very happy to have outstanding experts as keynote speakers - stay tuned!

Demonstration sessions, as always, will showcase practical experiments in curriculum innovation, digital assessment and other areas of education reform. We encourage you to submit your case!

The working language of the seminar is English

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* While UNESCO uses this concept in order to assist countries in developing and implementing coherent national policies and educational sector-wide plans, in the context of this event it is being applied as a methodological tool.