Childhood, possibility thinking and wise, humanising educational futures

An aspect of rapid, unpredictable change is digital technology which engages increasing numbers of children and young people. Consumers and producers, participants in virtual spaces seamlessly integrated with their lives, young people engage through gaming, social networking and generating and manipulating content. They thus experiment and explore, engaging in possibility thinking in a marketized environment.This paper considers implications for educators of conceptualising young people as capable and potent, rather than vulnerable and at risk. Suggesting it is the marketization of these practices, rather than children's possibility thinking, that is problematic, the paper suggests harnessing playful, plural, participative creativity to develop wise, humanising creativity. Through a quiet revolution, educators and students may co-create alternative, enabling educational futures for sustaining possibilities.

► Children become extensive marketized ‘possibility thinkers’ through digital media.
► Such creativity has implications for educators yet marketized dimension problematic.
► Wise, humanising creativity addresses wide challenges, reflecting changing youth.
► Pluralities, playfulness, participation can nurture such possibility thinking.
► In education this entails a quiet revolution of co-creation for sustaining futures.