The prototypical design of learning experiences is based on a logic that requires us to work backward from what we can confidently forecast students will likely need to be able to know and do in the foreseeable future. This approach has its benefits, but it also has serious limitations with respect to what educational experiences can and should offer young people in preparation for navigating uncertain futures.

The UxD approach provides opportunities and support for young people to develop their own sense of agency when facing uncertainty in their own learning and lives. When designing UxD experiences for students, it is important to understand that not all forms of uncertainty are the same. Some are more easily resolvable. Others require focused effort and support. And still other forms of uncertainty may never be resolvable. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the nature of uncertainty and the different types of uncertainty students (and we all) encounter in learning and life.

Whether students will take action in the face of uncertainty is based, in part, on their own agentic self-beliefs and the social supports they receive. This chapter provides an oveview and discussion of the kinds of beliefs and supports involved in deciding to (or not to) take action under uncertainty.

The purpose of this chapter is to describe and demonstrate how structuring uncertainty can result in generative UxD learning opportunities aimed at preparing young people for unknown futures.

This preface introduces the book, describes the purpose, audience, and need for us all to step into the unknown and work together to bring about more promising educational designs for young people. Such designs are aimed at better equipping young people to navigate uncertainty now and into the future.

This chapter describes how UxD learning can be thought of as a form of creative learning and how the result of UxD learning experiences can be thought of principled contributions to oneself and others.

The focus of this chapter is to describe how to support young people in exploring uncertainty for the production and selection of actionable possibilities to resolve uncertainty in learning and life.

What do we owe current and future generations of young people? Although there are many ways to respond to this question, most agree that we owe them an education that prepares them for the future. This chapter describes how approach this goal requires us to think differently about the future. Specifically, recognizing that there is not one future but multiple futures. Moreover, it highlights how we need new scenarios for possible futures which go beyond focusing on likely futures and toward preparing young people to navigate unkown futures.

Although educating for likely futures has its place, the central argument presented in this chapter is that preparing young people for uncertain futures requires a fundamentally different logic of design. To that end, the logic of ’uncertainty x design’ (UxD) is introduced and presented. A discussion of why this new design logic is needed is also provided.

This ‘avanti’ briefly highlights how the possibilities presented in the book serve as a starting point, which can be carried forward by educators, students, researchers, and anyone interested in working toward more promising educational futures.