WISE 2019
UnLearn, ReLearn: What it means to be Human
Doha, Qatar - Nov 19-21

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In our constantly changing world, it’s more important than ever that we unlearn and relearn the skills and knowledge that will allow us to thrive as individuals and societies. This extends to the way we teach, the way we learn, and how knowledge is shared.

More than 3,200 educators, decision-makers, and influential experts from the public and private sectors from over 100 countries gathered in Doha for engaging plenaries, dialogues, debates, and tailored networking sessions to reimagine and build the future of education.

WISE 2019 was an opportunity to explore what makes us uniquely human in the age of exponential technological transformation as we reconsider what constitutes a good education, how to educate the whole person, and how to foster lifelong learning.

What to Expect

WISE in numbers since 2009

Global audience

Global audience

Over 12,000 participants from 150 countries have attended a WISE Summit. You can ignite conversations on the future education with the more than 35,000 diverse WISE Community members or 150,000 engaged followers on WISE Social Media channels.

Purposeful networking

Purposeful networking

Braindates and Meet the Authors sessions are at the core of the WISE experience. Build meaningful relationships with other delegates using these popular formats.

Recharge and energize

Recharge and energize

Take a break and practice mindfulness and reflection at the dedicated sessions.

Playful innovation

Playful innovation

Engage with trending ideas and topics through hands-on labs and creative installations at the Majlis, the heart of the action where you can meet with experts.

Cultural quest

Cultural quest

Networking dinners are organized at the iconic Doha landmarks of the National Museum of Qatar and Souq Waqif; an opportunity to meet other delegates and discover the Qatari culture.

Original Insights

Original Insights

Deep-dive into the WISE community's expertise and knowledge, with engaging talks, plenaries and front line research findings.

Summit Highlights

PREVIOUS SUMMIT: WISE 2017

Program at a Glance

From discovering how to turn whole cities into learning campuses, to debating how students could fund their higher education, to uncovering global ed-tech trends and their implications on innovation. WISE 2019 addressed current trends and urgent challenges.

Among many other topics, here is an initial glimpse at some of the current trends and urgent challenges this year’s summit addressed:

Lifelong Learning for Teachers

Ensure that educators are equipped for a journey of learning to advance how we impart knowledge to the next generation

Understanding our Brain

With technology deeply integrated into our lives, how do we nurture our minds and enhance our ability to learn?

Well-Being

It’s time to think holistically about students and integrate well-being into the foundation of every learning curriculum

Integrating and Leveraging Technology for Positive Learning Outcomes

Could we use the same technology to increase quality, provide equal access, and maximize teacher-student interaction?

Harnessing Collective Intelligence

How can we break institutional silos to collectively tackle global priorities and pool resources and ideas to build a better future?

Skills and Values

Skills and knowledge are the core of a principle education. We can teach skills for work, but how do we also instill values such as respect, honesty and commitment to educate students to be responsible, contributing citizens of society?


  • DAY 0
  • DAY 1
  • DAY 2
ALL DAY
9:00 am
10:00 pm
Various locations

PRE-SUMMIT ACTIVITIES TO BE ANNOUNCED

Upon invitation

8:00 pm
10:00 pm
Souq Waqif

NETWORKING DINNERS

Upon registration

MORNING
9:00 am
10:30 am
THEATER

OPENING PLENARY

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY MOHAMMED ABDUL WAHED AL HAMMADI
Minister of Education and Higher Education, Qatar

ANNOUNCEMENT OF 2019 WISE PRIZE FOR EDUCATION LAUREATE

SPECIAL KEYNOTE BY ARMEN SARKISSIAN
President of the Republic of Armenia

PANEL – WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN

10:30 am
11:00 am
MAJLIS

NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK

11:00 am
12:15 pm
AUDITORIUM 1

PANEL AL FAKHOORA – My forced identity: How has conflict and war shaped youth identity in the MENA region?

The global economy is changing; post-secondary education is no longer an advantage, but a minimum requirement for gainful employment. Employers demand versatile, highly-qualified graduates equipped with 21st century skills.
For over 25 years, the MENA region has had one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. The private and public sectors must work together to align higher education with economic empowerment. By providing innovative employment options, such as attracting corporations to outsource to the MENA region, we empower youth to rise above low-skilled or informal employment.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 101

WORKSHOP – Educating for well-being: How does cultivating educator SEL matter for unlearning and relearning what it means to be human?

Practical session for integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) meaningfully in class.

Although the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL), in all education contexts is well-established, its meaningful integration in curricula faces major bureaucratic as well as more personal challenges. How can we help young people to cultivate a practice of well-being, if we haven’t effectively managed it ourselves? This workshop provides educators with evidence-based social-emotional skills and tools to support their well-being. Participants will reflect on presentations and join group activities to build a discipline for SEL based on cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and empathy-building tools.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 102

WORKSHOP - Increasing student engagement in learning

Strategies for maximizing engagement in secondary school classrooms.

This workshop will introduce classroom engagement strategies used by Al-Bairaq program to maximize student engagement in the learning process, and transform them from passive recipients of information to active participants in the classroom. Attendees will be engaged in diverse educational activities and introduced to various teaching strategies that can be applied in classrooms to ease the process of delivering information to students and stimulate their creativity and innovative thinking.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 238

WORKSHOP - Students and educators as knowledge constructors: Relearning how to interact with knowledge

Practical tools for empowering the next generation to be critical consumers and producers of knowledge.

Participants in this workshop will relearn practical tools for empowering the next generation to be critical consumers and producers of knowledge. How aware are students about the process of building useful, relevant knowledge? Throughout much of history, the management of knowledge and its access by a small group has led to limitations in what and how information is represented, valued, and shared. Global connectivity suggests that with projects like Wikipedia, knowledge can be built that truly represents diversity.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM G01

WORKSHOP - Pathways to change: Using change theory to sketch a blueprint for long term impact

Apply theory of change to your own educational program.

Policymaking usually lacks clear pathways to change. This workshop aims to bridge the gap between ideas of disruptive innovation, and putting them in action. Participants will work on their own theory of change, and think critically about their educational programs. With facilitators’ guidance, they will gain evidence based practical knowledge, clarify the mechanisms they expect can lead to change, and reflect on their feasibility. They will closely define outcomes and develop indicators to measure success.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM G02

WORKSHOP - Empowering youth through facilitation, experiential learning, and awakening creativity

Learn to use experiential learning, group facilitation, and the arts to build social-emotional learning in class.

Educators increasingly embrace evidence that creativity, emotional intelligence, flexibility, and collaboration are essential skills for young people. Yet conventional approaches to education have not adequately embedded
them. How can we foster these skills in practical ways? In this workshop participants will learn ways to use experiential learning, group facilitation, and the arts to build social emotional learning skills in classrooms, in after-school programs, and beyond.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 105

EDU-DEBATE - Resolved: College students should sell a share of their future salaries to fund their degrees

Debaters will reason whether or not a share in future salaries would be an effective funding strategy.

Income Share Agreements (ISAs) have emerged as a solution to the dramatic accumulation of student debt, particularly in the United States. Instead of taking loans, students pledge a percentage of their future salary. Payments are linked to the graduate’s employment; they are not burdened by debt if they do not manage to find a job promptly. What are the challenges to such an approach? How can stakeholders raise awareness of innovative financial tools, and together deconstruct barriers? Join us in exploring all perspectives around this potential game-changer.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 106

PANEL - Learning through well-being

Panelists discuss the importance of wellbeing in shaping learning outcomes. As a fundamental lifelong pursuit and a critical element in education, well-being has gained increasing substance beyond feel-good buzzwords. Educators and students of all ages are relearning how emotions are the building blocks of learning, crucial for cultivating the key necessities of attention, social connection, self-awareness, and purpose. How can we create the fertile ground for curiosity and connection that we all need to thrive throughout life? How can we encourage the virtuous cycles of physical and emotional well-being that broadly underpin success?

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 201

WISE RESEARCH PRESENTATION - Learning eco-systems and citizenship education: The intersection of local and global

WISE authors present their work exploring learning eco-systems and global citizenship education. These thematically complementary topics provide pathways for discussion around the greater purposes of education and learning, and how values in common might be relearned and lived in diverse contexts around the world.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

PANEL - Skills and values: Finding the way ahead

Leading thinkers discuss how educators can effectively tackle the skills gap.

Ongoing transformation in technology and labor markets often pushes policymakers, educators, and employers to adopt quick fixes for up-skilling and reskilling the workforce. How can educators influence and drive the search for new tools and vital soft skills, rather than deferring to the agenda of advanced technology alone? Does the focus on workplace skills come at the expense of values? What potential systemic solutions, such as digitization of content, improved accreditation, and assessment are needed to effectively tackle the skills gap challenge?

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

PITCH IT – WISE Accelerator

Meet eight innovators leveraging technology to improve education for thousands of people. Every day innovators around the world tackle the most daunting challenges in education. These edtech founders will present their initiatives, from skilling the medical workforce to group teaching and reducing teacher workload. Innovative projects compete to win a vote by jury.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

HELP ME SOLVE IT - Skills development

Practitioners present challenges facing skills development, and invite participants to build solutions. A key goal of education is to develop and pass on the variety of skills learners need to thrive throughout their lives. In what ways do the ongoing, profound changes in the ways we learn and work compound the complexity of the process? How do skills need to be unlearned and reinvented for relevance and value?

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

HEAR MY STORY - Success and failure

Learn about the failures, the triumphs, and learnings of people in the WISE 2019 community.

Any professional journey has its highs and lows. Failure often generates the most valuable wisdom. Speakers explore their experiences of failure, how they overcame them, what they unlearned (and relearned), and how the process contributed to their long-term success.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

LAUNCHPAD

Presentations on recent, cutting-edge education research and projects.

The Launchpad provides a supportive collegial environment where speakers inform and engage participants to consider unusual perspectives and new thinking. Presentations are grounded in research, experience and best practices, whilst also structured with a storytelling arc to highlight relevant examples participants can relate to.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

UNLEARNING MAZE

Created by local artist Abdulaziz Yousef especially for WISE 2019, the space offers an experience of space alteration on the senses. Mirrors and guide the visitor in a visual experience featuring quotes and illustrations that shape the process of unlearning, and inspire creative contemplation.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

LEARNING LABS

Discover innovative experiences that support creativity and learning

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

NETWORKING

Meet the author, Braindate

11:30 am
12:45 pm
CONFERENCE HALL FOYER

MINDFULNESS SESSION - Yoga Nidra

Join a variety of sessions inspired by nature, spiritual healing, nourishment and friendship. Dr Sam Kankanamge, osteopath and founder of the Sen Wellness Sanctuary in Sri Lanka, believes these are the essential paths toward reclaiming personal empowerment. Join a session to discover serenity of mind.

Yoga Nidra
A relaxing yoga journey through the body combining breathwork to gently, deeply connect with oneself.

MIDDAY
12:15 pm
12:30 pm
MAJLIS

NETWORKING BREAK

12:30 pm
1:45 pm
ROOM 106

PANEL - How can we harness neuroscience to optimize holistic learning?

Leading experts share insight into the applications of neuroscience for better learning.

The journey of discovery begun in infancy carries on through life. Deepening our understanding of brain development and how learning happens holds important implications for teaching practice, curricula, and the direction of education more broadly. How can we best enhance learning across the various stages of development, and how can educators most productively interpret new knowledge to support diverse individual learners?

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

KEYNOTES AND DISCUSSION

Four mavericks share with us their unique understanding of what it means to connect and communicate in today’s world. Their work explores subjects as diverse as how best to interact with technology, the impact of social networks on our behaviors, and the importance of music—and allows us to envision new ways of thriving in an uncertain future.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

PITCH IT - Innovation in learning approaches

Meet innovators leveraging new methods to improve learning for thousands of people.

Education today faces the complex challenge of providing the next generations with the skills they will need to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape. What are those 21st century skills? How to best transmit knowledge and skills? Innovative projects compete to win a vote by jury.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

HELP ME SOLVE IT - Access and inclusion

Practitioners present challenges facing access and inclusion, and invite participants to build solutions.

Meeting the goal of universal access to quality education remains elusive, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable groups. Reaching them requires focused policies and programs with disciplined implementation. Solutions to challenges offer powerful insights that can be adapted in diverse situations.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

HEAR MY STORY - Education journeys of WISE Emerging Leaders

Learn about the failures, the triumphs, and learnings of people in the WISE Emerging Leaders program.

A new generation of system leaders share their personal journeys in education and how they are helping their communities evolve and embrace change. Participants will hear from several fellows of the WISE Emerging Leaders program on how they have engaged their communities in compelling dialogues on pressing issues in education, ranging from youth empowerment to teaching life skills, teacher training and well-being.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

LAUNCHPAD

Presentations on recent, cutting-edge education research and projects.

The Launchpad provides a supportive collegial environment where speakers inform and engage participants to consider unusual perspectives and new thinking. Presentations are grounded in research, experience and best practices, whilst also structured with a storytelling arc to highlight relevant examples.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

UNLEARNING MAZE

Created by local artist Abdulaziz Yousef especially for WISE 2019, the space offers an experience of space alteration on the senses. Mirrors and guide the visitor in a visual experience featuring quotes and illustrations that shape the process of unlearning, and inspire creative contemplation.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

LEARNING LABS

Discover innovative experiences that support creativity and learning

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

NETWORKING

Meet the author, Braindate

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
CONFERENCE HALL FOYER

MINDFULNESS SESSION - Yoga Nidra

Join a variety of sessions inspired by nature, spiritual healing, nourishment and friendship. Dr Sam Kankanamge, osteopath and founder of the Sen Wellness Sanctuary in Sri Lanka, believes these are the essential paths toward reclaiming personal empowerment. Join a session to discover serenity of mind.

Yoga Nidra
A relaxing yoga journey through the body combining breathwork to gently, deeply connect with oneself.

AFTERNOON
2:15 pm
3:30 pm
ROOM 101

WORKSHOP - Collaborative dialogue for youth leadership challenges

This World Café style workshop, facilitated by WISE Emerging Leaders, focuses on youth engagement in education and leadership.

The goal is to foster a new culture of participation among the next generation of leaders through dialogue and collaboration. Following three rounds of brainstorming and discussion around key youth engagement and leadership topics, we will bring together the most salient ideas, themes, and challenges to create a collective mind-map that will graphically reflect our collaboration.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
ROOM 102

WORKSHOP - Developing dialogue skills to explore identity and diversity

Hands-on workshop on how dialogue skills can help students explore identity and diversity.

Recent survey research found that while only a quarter of teachers globally considered themselves well-equipped to manage and navigate classroom diversity, teachers should be able to “treat diversity as an asset and a source of growth.” This workshop will examine how to use dialogue skills to help 12 to 17-year-old students safely explore diversity, experience the power of facilitated dialogue as a tool for grappling with identity, and consider ways such approaches could be used to address difficult and challenging issues.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
ROOM 238

WORKSHOP – Bringing computational thinking as a transversal skill into K-12 classrooms in creative and collaborative ways

Immersive learning experience for K-12 teachers to bring computational thinking into their classes.

Become an edu-creator of the future when you step into Square City! This immersive, hands-on, creative, and collaborative learning experience helps K-12 teachers bring computational thinking to the classroom. You will join other participants in this futuristic city to discover key concepts for screen-less thinking, and practice transversal skills to solve exciting community challenges in an engaging way.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
ROOM G01

WORKSHOP - Innovations in school leadership development: Lessons from five global case studies beyond the OECD

Practical session on school leader development programs and a comparison of global case studies.

This workshop is designed to accelerate and spread the design, funding, and scale-up of educational leader development programs and approaches. It will present and engage participants with findings from a school leader development study conducted in five countries (India, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya, and Lebanon). The workshop compares established and emerging approaches to school leadership development, and explores practices and outcomes across the variety of national contexts. It assesses local notions of success, and opportunities and challenges for leadership and school improvement.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
ROOM G02

WORKSHOP - Network science, hybrid human-AI networks, and ‘fake news’

Practical session on new research and applications of network science with software simulations.

Network science studies relationships among interacting elements of a system, and how the patterns of interaction (the architecture or the ‘topology’ of connections) affect the behavior of the components of the whole. Network structures can influence diverse outcomes from technology adoption to group performance, brand awareness and consumer choice, and the spread of violence or infection. In this workshop we will explore new research and applications in network science with software simulations.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
ROOM 105

TALK - Entrepreneurial journeys

Meet the entrepreneurs who will share their personal lessons of grappling with disruption in their industries.

For the entrepreneurial innovator, powerful interconnectivity and rapid change pose both dazzling opportunity and peril, known and unknown. Unsettled conditions call for conventional approaches to be unlearned. Success comes from an ability to manage change, and to anticipate new market trajectories to seize and create value. In this session speakers will share their personal stories of grappling with the new realities of their fields as disruptive innovators.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
ROOM 106

PANEL - New frontiers in funding: Bridging the financing gap

Experts share practical and innovative insight for funding education. Financing gaps persist in the pursuit of universal quality education (UN SDG 4). Fortunately, funding conventions trend away from traditional grant models faulted for short-term, siloed approaches. Innovative financing has blossomed, offering diverse options focused on results. New actors bring private sector expertise and capital into the high-impact education sector. How can we tackle challenges around the cost and complexity of agreements, the need for appropriate legal and political structures, and the slow progress of innovative forms of social finance in achieving scale?

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
ROOM 201

WISE RESEARCH - Distributed leadership and the complexities of the multilingual education space

WISE authors present their research on distributed leadership and multilingual education.

Effective, enlightened education policies most reliably emerge from the strong leadership, not of one individual, but in a process of collaboration among many across diverse stakeholder interests. WISE authors in this session present their works on multi-level distributed leadership, and on language, bringing fresh perspectives and approaches to school leadership in complex multilingual education contexts.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
MAJLIS

PANEL - Exploring new models in higher education

Panelists discuss various higher education models that are responding to shifting priorities. Unsettled global economic forces and accelerating change in all spheres of life press educators to reframe priorities. New models and definitions of higher education seek to accommodate the demands of shifting employment markets. How can educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders respond to both local needs and global pressures in designing their unique choreography together? How can the politics of education today drive ongoing and vibrant debate toward viable, practical solutions to socio-economic challenges, and target the needs of those left behind?

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
MAJLIS

PITCH IT - Innovation in learning approaches

Meet innovators leveraging new methods to improve learning.

Education today faces the complex challenge of providing the next generations with the skills they will need to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape. What are those 21st century skills? How do we best transmit knowledge and skills? Innovative projects compete to win a vote by jury.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
MAJLIS

HELP ME SOLVE IT - New learning strategies

Presenting strategies and tools to overcome challenges, including leveraging collective intelligence.

With accelerating and dramatic change, education stakeholders are concerned that students of all ages are not adequately equipped for evolving job markets. While relearning commitment to purpose and direction in education and pro-active curricula are fundamental, how we teach is also crucial. Speakers present strategies and tools to overcome challenges, including leveraging collective intelligence.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
MAJLIS

HEAR MY STORY – Learners' Voice

WISE Learners’ Voice fellows will share their personal journeys in education, and their aspirations for the future.

Listen to the range of perspectives of young people on rethinking education, what roles they hope to play in their fields, and in the world of education.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
MAJLIS

LAUNCHPAD - Moonshot Education

Presentations on future facing, cutting-edge education research and projects. ‘Moonshot’ evokes a state of mind with no limitations to achievement. With this freedom, we will zoom out to envision the state of education in 2050. How will conventional education move from today’s archaic state to meet and embrace the coming massive global transformation and disruption? How will education look to young people emerging from high school? We already have the tools and the means to make education fun, personalized, and free. But how can technology truly bridge gaps in access and broader opportunity?

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
MAJLIS

LEARNING LABS

Discover innovative experiences that support creativity and learning

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
MAJLIS

UNLEARNING MAZE

Created by local artist Abdulaziz Yousef especially for WISE 2019, the space offers an experience of space alteration on the senses. Mirrors and guide the visitor in a visual experience featuring quotes and illustrations that shape the process of unlearning, and inspire creative contemplation.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
MAJLIS

BRAINDATE

Connect with other participants for peer-to-peer learning conversations.

4:15 pm
5:30 pm
CONFERENCE HALL FOYER

MINDFULNESS SESSION - Gong Bath and healing

Join a variety of sessions inspired by nature, spiritual healing, nourishment and friendship. Dr Sam Kankanamge, osteopath and founder of the Sen Wellness Sanctuary in Sri Lanka, believes these are the essential paths toward reclaiming personal empowerment. Join a session to discover serenity of mind.

Gong Bath and healing
An ancient healing tool bathing the body in waves of sound vibration to help the mind let go of thoughts, reduce stress, and restore clarity and focus.

4.00 pm
5:30 pm
THEATER

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY SHERRIE WESTIN

Six projects have been selected by WISE for their innovative and transformational approaches that are tackling pressing issues in education around the world, while demonstrating positive impact on society.

2:30 pm
4:00 pm
THEATER

PANEL - Scaling up impact from grassroots to systemic change

This panel of four experts with broad experience in grass-roots settings will explore the impact of ‘scaling-up’ and the challenges it raises. Innovation creatively tailored to unique eco-systems has tackled access to quality education. Yet efforts have not reliably led to broader systemic transformation. How can we scale up impact to achieve it? Are we past quantifying impact? What are strategies and interventions that have produced learning gains at scale?

EVENING
7:00 pm
10:00 pm
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF QATAR

DELEGATE DINNER

Upon registration

MORNING
9:30 am
10:30 am
THEATER

PLENARY EDUCATE A CHILD – Zero strategy (Out-of-School Children)

This plenary session will launch EAC’s Zero Strategy. To do this it will acknowledge what has been accomplished and stress how far we have to go to meet the promise of a quality education for all. The session will be action-oriented by providing suggestions on how the global community can mobilize--the criticality of linking action and influence for the hardest to reach.

10:30 am
11:00 am
MAJLIS

NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK

11:00 am
12:15 pm
AUDITORIUM 1

PANEL EAA & UNESCO – Migration, displacement, and the MENA region: Building bridges, not walls

The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report and Education Above All (EAA) will launch the Arab States 2019 GEM Report and discuss the impact of migration, displacement and education on education systems in the region. A panel of experts will discuss how education is shaping internal and regional migration trends, and what practical actions can be taken to remove the barriers that refugees and other migrants face. This session will launch the report and outline some of the possible follow-up actions that it suggests.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
AUDITORIUM 2

PANEL ROTA – MENA Youth Capacity Building in Humanitarian Action Opening (MYCHA)

Panelists engage and inspire youth preparing to work in humanitarian assistance.

This panel aims to engage and inspire the 150 youth who are preparing to join an intensive MENA Youth Capacity Building in Humanitarian Action (MYCHA) training on the realities of working in the humanitarian assistance eco-system. The moderated discussion is comprised of three parts: engaging young people in humanitarianism as a form of active local and global citizenship; exploring culturally sensitive approaches to enable young women to participate in various contexts; and hearing from young people themselves about the challenges they face.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 102

WORKSHOP - How to be well in the digital age

Assessing our relationship with technology and crafts, and finding tools for digital wellbeing.

While most of us experience the impact of ubiquitous digital technologies in our lives, we may be ill-equipped to cope with and effectively engage these constantly changing ways of being and working. Participants assess their relationship with tech and craft, and finding tools for digital well-being. The interactive, conversational process supports a disciplined approach to thriving with the benefits of technology without the distractions.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 238

WORKSHOP - Impactful leadership: Tools for effective organizational problem-solving

Participants examine problems they face in their organization and identify evidence-based solutions. This workshop offers ways for education leaders to ‘unlearn and relearn’ established approaches and assumptions toward improved learning and motivation throughout their organizations. Participants will learn valuable tools to enhance organizational problem-solving skills, with a focus on building capacity among all stakeholders. Through a hands-on, discussion-based format, participants will each examine in its full complexity a problem they face in their organization, and identify effective, evidence-based ways to solve it.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM G01

WORKSHOP - Blockchain education: Can we quantify the value of education?

Participants assess the potential applications of blockchain technology in education.

Through group activities, this workshop will explore the potential role of blockchain in the future of education. Participants will be introduced to the idea of assessing the value of education into live skills data to transform education and work.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM G02

WORKSHOP - International mindedness for cultural inclusion

Participants engage with ways of advancing cultural inclusion. As student communities in education settings of all varieties grow more diverse, issues of cultural inclusion, among others, have gained prominence. In this workshop, participants will reflect on their beliefs, values, skills, and aptitudes to assess their personal disposition toward ‘international mindedness’ and its effectiveness in advancing cultural inclusion. There will be an emphasis on the importance of recognizing the unique needs and assets of students in a given education setting who are linguistically and culturally diverse.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 105

EDU-DEBATE - Resolved: Standardized assessments are anachronistic and hinder learning

Debaters weigh the impact of standardized assessments.

Ideally, assessment should build valuable data banks and broadly support education system and community goals. Yet school cultures are often characterized by over-reliance on high-stakes testing, evoking an expired industrial era model of education. What is being tested, test-taking skills, or practical knowledge? How can educators unlearn regressive models and design dynamic assessment that supports relevant curricula focused on practical individual and community needs?

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 104

ROUNDTABLE – G20 Entrepreneurship education

Education stakeholders from various sectors discuss improved practices in teaching entrepreneurship.

In this Roundtable, education stakeholders discuss improved practice in teaching entrepreneurship. The solutions they propose to expand entrepreneurship education will help support policy recommendations to be provided to the G20 leaders.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 106

PANEL - Creating learning ecosystems: a shared responsibility

Leading experts discuss how to shape learning ecosystems amongst social and technological changes.

Conventional education faces a crisis of identity and purpose. The impact and pace of social and technological change suggest that our learning environments are limited only by our capacity for imagination and creative thinking. How should we relearn and teach anew the values in education? What are the challenges of transformation? How can ecosystem stakeholders draw on the unique, local resources of their communities to build skills, and adopt lifelong learning?

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 201

WISE RESEARCH - Access to quality: How higher education competes for global talent

WISE authors present findings on the pursuit of institutional excellence and attracting global talent in higher education.

As universities pursue social development and serve their local communities, they face tough global competition for resources and talent. Some are focused on advancing their standings in international rankings to attract and retain international students. In this session, authors of two WISE Reports present their research findings on how universities pursue institutional excellence and how countries compete to attract global talent.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

PANEL - How can we unlearn how teachers learn?

Practitioners discuss ways to collaborate with teachers to design effective adult learning.

Improved teaching has been shown to have the biggest single impact on student learning. What kinds of ongoing, job-embedded professional learning is most effective in raising teaching quality, and how can it be adapted in various environments? How should school and system leaders collaborate with teachers in designing and developing structures and cultures for effective adult learning? What are practical models for relearning how teams work together toward student improvement?

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

PITCH IT - Social innovators

Startups pitch the most effective ways to teach relevant skills for an evolving education ecosystem. Educators face ongoing challenges in developing and targeting relevant skills for evolving needs. What core skills and knowledge are needed for the rapidly changing eco-system, and what are the most effective ways to teach and practice them in the learning space? Innovative projects compete to win a vote by jury.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

HELP ME SOLVE IT - Skills development

Crowdsourcing solutions for developing skills that learners need to thrive in their lives.

A key goal of education is to develop and pass on the variety of skills learners need to thrive throughout their lives. In what ways do the ongoing, profound changes in the ways we learn and work compound the complexity of the process? How do skills need to be unlearned and reinvented for relevance and value? Speakers present the challenges around these questions.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

HEAR MY STORY – Innovative stories from the 2019 WISE Awards winning projects

Find inspiration in the stories of the 2019 WISE Award winning projects.

Transforming your ideas into practical innovation and action is difficult. Find inspiration in the stories of the 2019 WISE Award winning projects. Representatives of the six winning projects will highlight how their project increased learning outcomes and developed skills and mindsets to prepare learners for a changing world.

- Akilah Institute
- Arpan’s Personal Safety Education Programme
- Family Business for Education
- Micro:bit Educational Foundation
- Programa Criança Feliz
- United World Schools: Teaching the Unreached

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

LAUNCHPAD

Presentations on recent, cutting-edge education research and projects.

The Launchpad provides a supportive collegial environment where speakers inform and engage participants to consider unusual perspectives and new thinking. Presentations are grounded in research, experience and best practices, whilst also structured with a storytelling arc to highlight relevant examples participants can relate to.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

LEARNING LABS

Discover innovative experiences that support creativity and learning

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

UNLEARNING MAZE

Created by local artist Abdulaziz Yousef especially for WISE 2019, the space offers an experience of space alteration on the senses. Mirrors and guide the visitor in a visual experience featuring quotes and illustrations that shape the process of unlearning, and inspire creative contemplation.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

NETWORKING

Meet the author, Braindate

11:30 am
12:45 pm
CONFERENCE HALL FOYER

MINDFULNESS SESSION - Yoga Nidra

Join a variety of sessions inspired by nature, spiritual healing, nourishment and friendship. Dr Sam Kankanamge, osteopath and founder of the Sen Wellness Sanctuary in Sri Lanka, believes these are the essential paths toward reclaiming personal empowerment. Join a session to discover serenity of mind.

Yoga Nidra
A relaxing yoga journey through the body combining breathwork to gently, deeply connect with oneself.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
MAJLIS

MINDFULNESS SESSION

Join a variety of sessions inspired by nature, spiritual healing, nourishment and friendship. Dr Sam Kankanamge, osteopath and founder of the Sen Wellness Sanctuary in Sri Lanka, believes these are the essential paths toward reclaiming personal empowerment. Join a session to discover serenity of mind.

11:30 am
12:45 pm
ROOM 101

WORKSHOP - Power of play: Building our world through community relationships and technology

Interactive workshop for incorporating coding into STEAM learning.

Participants engage with Cubetto, a coding technology tool, to explore relationships among objects and places, and to create stories through props, maps, dialogue, and their imagination. We consider coding a tool for harnessing technology, and a lens through which we interpret our world. We improve by building relationships and interacting with our environments. Through this dynamic choreography of play, we demonstrate what it means to be human.

MIDDAY
12:15 am
12:30 pm
MAJLIS

NETWORKING BREAK

12:30 pm
1:45 pm
ROOM 106

PANEL - The power of many: Harnessing collective intelligence

Panelists discuss how digital tools garner collective intelligence to solve global challenges.

The potential of collective intelligence is dramatically enhanced in the digital age with access to crowdsourcing, vast data troves, and the exponential communicative tools of social media. Complex global challenges such as climate change and rising inequality require equivalently complex collaborative approaches. Social media sharing can identify appropriate learning and teaching for unique school environments. How can educators unlearn institutional silos to coordinate, assess, and design ways to best manage and apply new tools?

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

PANEL - How the power of sport and gender makes us human

Panelists discuss the power of sport in redefining gender and otherhood across cultures.

The session will examine how international sport events support collaboration and break down barriers through cultural exchange and other interaction. They can serve as an effective field for exploring unconventional education skills among the most vulnerable communities. In what ways can such events focus on the empowerment of women? This panel will address a variety of topics, including the integration of diverse physical education and well-being oriented programs to attract and engage more young people in healthier life styles.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

PITCH IT - Innovation in learning approaches

Competing projects pitch innovative ways to tackle the skills gap in an ever-changing landscape.

Education today faces the complex challenge of providing the next generations with the skills they will need to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape. What are those 21st century skills? How do we best transmit knowledge and skills? Innovative projects compete to win a vote by jury.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

HELP ME SOLVE IT - New learning strategies

Speakers present challenges in preparing students for the challenges of a changing job market.

With accelerating and dramatic change, education stakeholders are concerned that students of all ages are not adequately equipped for evolving job markets. While relearning commitment to purpose and direction in education and pro-active curricula are fundamental, how we teach is also crucial. Speakers present strategies and tools to overcome challenges, including leveraging collective intelligence.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

HEAR MY STORY - Untold stories

Global education journalists share stories of encounters that marked their careers.

As important witnesses of our time, journalists continually question, seek deeper truths, and help us make sense of our world. They create coherence from complexity across numerous fields, reporting on history-making events and exploring the roots of change, providing both context and conscience. International education journalists will share stories behind the encounters and experiences that marked their careers.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

LAUNCHPAD - Triggering changes

Innovators share their creative solutions to learning problems and encourage you to focus on positive results.

The speakers in this session want to encourage you to focus on the positive results you and your organization have helped promote, and to celebrate the new perspectives and approaches you have brought to learning. The new goals and changes you have supported and embedded have made a difference. They could be the seeds for growing systemic transformation in a community. Listen and learn more inspiration from these successful innovators.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

LEARNING LABS

Discover innovative experiences that support creativity and learning

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

UNLEARNING MAZE

Created by local artist Abdulaziz Yousef especially for WISE 2019, the space offers an experience of space alteration on the senses. Mirrors and guide the visitor in a visual experience featuring quotes and illustrations that shape the process of unlearning, and inspire creative contemplation.

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
MAJLIS

NETWORKING

Meet the author, Braindate

1:00 pm
2:15 pm
HALLWAY

MINDFULNESS SESSION - Gong Bath and healing

Join a variety of sessions inspired by nature, spiritual healing, nourishment and friendship. Dr Sam Kankanamge, osteopath and founder of the Sen Wellness Sanctuary in Sri Lanka, believes these are the essential paths toward reclaiming personal empowerment. Join a session to discover serenity of mind.

Gong Bath and healing
An ancient healing tool bathing the body in waves of sound vibration to help the mind let go of thoughts, reduce stress, and restore clarity and focus.

AFTERNOON
2:15 pm
3:30 pm
ROOM 101

WORKSHOP - Digital skilling: Global models and improved practice

Practical session on eight models that have produced a range of key lessons in teaching digital skills.

For children now entering primary school, acquiring sophisticated digital skills will be crucial for success in jobs that we cannot yet fully envision. Education systems face the unprecedented challenge of responding nimbly to dramatic technological upheaval, and developing interventions aligned to workforce needs. What models have demonstrated scale and efficacy, and what are their approaches? Participants in this workshop will consider eight successful models which have produced key lessons.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
ROOM 102

WORKSHOP - Results-based financing in education: Anticipating and aligning common goals

Practical workshop on anticipating and managing results-based financing.

Results-based financing has generated significant interest in the education space. Impact bonds and similar financial instruments can help investors, funders, schools, and universities to align their common goal of measuring and improving learning outcomes. This workshop will explore recent trends, and consider lessons for anticipating and managing results-based financing. We will discuss how the impact bonds process can help reframe conventional education thinking, and how to design effective interventions.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
ROOM 238

WORKSHOP - Learning to live for universal well-being: A new paradigm

Workshop on how the values of well-being could drive new approaches to education and learning.

Our capacity to manage and to thrive in a world of both dazzling technological upheaval and existential threat is linked to how well we embed a discipline of well-being in all aspects of our lives. In this workshop, participants will share ideas on how such a practice could drive radically new approaches to education and learning. In what ways can a focus on well-being support education leaders to unlearn static agenda, broaden perspectives, and empower new approaches?

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
ROOM G01

WORKSHOP - The crucial role of learning style versatility in times of unlearning and relearning

Practical strategies for learning style versatility as a powerful meta-skill and its outcome.

This workshop explores the role of learning style versatility as a powerful meta-skill, and how it can be supported as a valuable life-long learning outcome. In what ways can students benefit from increased learning style versatility over a lifetime? How can educators encourage students to transform their learning through a meta-cognitive approach? In their interactions, participants will discuss ways learners and educators can unlearn and expand relevant skills to deal with the unique volatility and complexity.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
ROOM G02

WORKSHOP - Becoming future fit: Building the AI-powered Google Maps

Uncovering the power of big data and AI in discovering, developing, and measuring skills for success.

The workshop will explore the power of big data and AI in discovering, developing, and measuring critical skills for success. Drawing on Google’s global map of over a billion data points, participants will uncover regional and global skill trends, and outline a framework for relearning and reskilling people for a future defined by AI and automation.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
ROOM 105

TALK - Champions of skills

Practitioners share how they teach character skills that can improve personal and professional settings.

Embracing a disciplined practice of life-long learning takes on a premium value in times of on-going unpredictable change. We continually develop and extend our core aptitudes and skills for emerging needs. At both professional and personal levels we rethink what and how we learn and teach, and sharpen our tools of character and practice in order to sustain growth and thrive. Speakers will share their personal experiences and understandings around skills, and consider new approaches to teaching and learning.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
ROOM 106

PANEL - Why does social and emotional learning matter?

Panelists discuss how educators benefit when using social-emotional learning in their environments.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has emerged as a robust, holistic approach to the full range of pressures young people face. SEL focuses on building self-confidence, self-knowledge, and skills of self-regulation and emotional health. Yet SEL life skills are not widely embedded in most education systems. How can we raise awareness of their crucial role in learning outcomes in all environments? How can educators ensure that SEL supports individuals in transferring their learning to new work spaces, and empowers them to thrive in a volatile world?

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
ROOM 201

WISE RESEARCH - Relearning academics for athletes, and well-being for all

WISE authors present findings on stakeholder approaches to ensuring student-athlete well-being.

As research continues to voice a more focused concern for student well-being, some education stakeholders have led the way in advocating change. The achievements of many student athletes on the playing fields have tended to come at the expense of opportunities in academics, often jeopardizing their post competition future. In this session, authors of two WISE Reports will present their findings and consider how stakeholders should approach the complex challenge of ensuring student well-being, including that of elite athletes.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
MAJLIS

PANEL - Empowering global citizenship for action

Changemakers discuss how global citizenship can be grounded in sustainable and collaborative action. Global citizenship has the distinction of having emerged as a hallmark of 21st century values during a period of heightened populist nationalism in many parts of the world. How can educators unlearn global citizenship as a feel-good abstraction? How can we relearn and embrace a practical suite of values-in-action based on the simple understanding that we are all connected and interdependent as economic and social actors? How can we harness global citizenship grounded in sustainable, collaborative, and entrepreneurial mindsets to support transformation?

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
MAJLIS

PITCH IT - Social innovators

Startups compete to address pressing social issues in education with innovative solutions.

Whether targeting underprivileged groups of learners or helping to address pressing issues, the projects in this session aim for a positive impact by finding innovative ways to address social issues through education. Innovative projects compete to win a vote by jury.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
MAJLIS

HELP ME SOLVE IT - Access and inclusion

Crowdsourcing solutions for universal access to quality education. Meeting the goal of universal access to quality education remains elusive, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable groups. Reaching them requires focused policies and programs with disciplined implementation. Solutions to challenges offer powerful insights that can be adapted in diverse situations.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
MAJLIS

HEAR MY STORY - Success and failure

Practitioners explore experiences of failure, how they overcame them, what they unlearned and relearned. Any professional journey has its highs and lows. Failure often generates the most valuable wisdom. Speakers explore their experiences of failure, how they overcame them, what they unlearned (and relearned), and how the process contributed to their long-term success.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
MAJLIS

LAUNCHPAD

Presentations on recent, cutting-edge education research and projects.

The Launchpad provides a supportive collegial environment where speakers inform and engage participants to consider unusual perspectives and new thinking. Presentations are grounded in research, experience and best practices, whilst also structured with a storytelling arc to highlight relevant examples participants can relate to.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
MAJLIS

LEARNING LABS

Discover innovative experiences that support creativity and learning

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
MAJLIS

UNLEARNING MAZE

Created by local artist Abdulaziz Yousef especially for WISE 2019, the space offers an experience of space alteration on the senses. Mirrors and guide the visitor in a visual experience featuring quotes and illustrations that shape the process of unlearning, and inspire creative contemplation.

2:30 pm
3:45 pm
MAJLIS

BRAINDATE

Connect with other participants for peer-to-peer learning conversations.

4:00 pm
5:30 pm
THEATER

CLOSING PLENARY

SPECIAL ADDRESS BY THE WISE PRIZE FOR EDUCATION LAUREATE

4:00 pm
5:30 pm
THEATER

PANEL - Rediscovering the purpose of education

The best of education calls on the human traits of resilience, creativity, empathy and collaboration to thrive in an interconnected and interdependent world. Through these we learn to make sense of complexity, and to find solutions to urgent global challenges. We close WISE 2019 exploring the necessity of unlearning and relearning, as we reimagine the purpose of education.

Download the program

Doha Learning Days
November 14-19

In collaboration with local and regional partners, WISE organized Doha Learning Days as an experiential learning festival that gathered the local community in an exciting exploration of education through a range of innovative and meaningful activities co-curated with local partners. Taking place at Education City’s ceremonial court, Doha Learning Days was an opportunity for the local community to celebrate education and participate in learning labs, enjoy well-ness and sporting activities, attend interactive talks, grab coffee with QF alumni and much more.

Speakers

Yalda Hakim

Yalda Hakim

Correspondent, BBC

Nicholas Christakis

Nicholas Christakis

Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Sciences, Yale University

Beth Yu

Beth Yu

Executive Secretary-General, Jack Ma Foundation

Fred Swaniker

Fred Swaniker

Founder and CEO, African Leadership Group

Rosie Clayton

Rosie Clayton

Research Fellow, Global Education Leaders Partnership / WISE

Armen Sarkissian

Armen Sarkissian

President of the Republic of Armenia

Rose Luckin

Rose Luckin

Professor of Learner Centred Design, UCL Knowledge Lab - UCL Institute of Education; Director, EDUCATE London

Max Tegmark

Max Tegmark

Co-Founder, Future of Life Institute

Andy Cope

Andy Cope

The UK’s ‘Doctor of Happiness’, Art of Brilliance

United Kingdom

Steven MacGregor

Steven MacGregor

Author and podcaster, Chief Wellbeing Officer, Leadership Academy of Barcelona

Jason Silva

Jason Silva

TV Personality, Futurist, National Geographic

Get Involved

Make your voice heard

Pitch It

Pitch your education solution

Workshops

Workshop new approaches to learning

Hear My Story

Share your inspiring story
 

Help Me Solve It

Solve a key education challenge with the help of the WISE Community

Research

WISE Research extends beyond current topics to anticipate future trends in education. From understanding the role of well-being in impacting learning outcomes, athletes’ access to education to using artificial intelligence for learning. Nine reports have been released in 2019.

Is global citizenship education changing young people’s attitudes towards equality, diversity and tolerance? Can we make language policies that are inclusive and effective for multicultural communities?

Are higher education internationalization strategies changing how students travel for study? Can learning ecosystems be enhanced by local players? How can educational leadership be used to elevate schools? How do higher education institutions pursue excellence?

Browse the 2019 Research topics

Global Competition for Talent: A Comparative Analysis of National Strategies for Attracting International Students

in collaboration with the Institute of International Education

Language Policy in Globalized Contexts

in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University – Qatar

Evaluating the Impact of Global Citizenship Education on Young People’s Attitudes Towards Equality, Diversity and Tolerance

in collaboration with Durham University

Local Learning Ecosystems: Emerging Models

in collaboration with Innovation Unit

Educational Leadership: A Multilevel Distributed Perspective

in collaboration with Northwestern University

Pursuit of Institutional Excellence: Case studies from Qatar

in collaboration with University of Pennsylvania

Promoting Youth Well-Being Through Health and Education: Insights and Opportunities

in collaboration with RAND and WISH

Global Sport Development Systems and Athletes’ Access to Education

in collaboration with Ohio University

What people say about WISE

“WISE (...) has become one of the leading forums for open discussion on the state of global education.”

International New York Times

WISE is the most important event for global education.”

People.cn

“WISE, the ‘Davos’ of Education.”

Les Echos

WISE aims to advance innovation and international cooperation in education, promote cutting-edge teaching practices around the world and build the future of education together.”

Xinhua

WISE has drawn educators, education officials, analysts and activists to Doha every year since 2009 in an effort to spur thinking about how to improve education and bridge gaps in opportunity around the world.”

The Washington Post

Sponsors and Partners

International Media Partners

International Livestreaming Partner

Venue Partner