The Learning Tree: Branching into Possibility

I live on the edge of Epping Forest, just outside London. This ancient woodland, more than 1,000 years old, has weathered centuries of change. In the 19th century, as London sprawled, it faced destruction. The forest was saved thanks to early futurists and conservationists.

As I walk among its ancient trees, tangled roots, and branching paths, I reflect on its enduring capacity for renewal. Epping Forest continues to thrive— loved by humans, horses, dogs, deer, cattle, and countless birds and insects. Like the forest, our approaches to learning must grow, twist, and sometimes take unexpected turns. They must adapt and offer opportunities to all.

Today, it’s time to plant new ideas, nurture imagination, and let bold thinking take root. That’s the spirit behind The Learning Tree: a collaborative canopy where futures aren’t just imagined but shaped together.


Trees don’t grow in straight lines—and neither does learning. Emerging technologies like AI, extended reality, biosensors, and decentralised systems are reshaping how we engage with knowledge, each other, and the world. But technology alone doesn’t define the future. It’s the questions we ask—and the stories we tell—that shape its direction.

That’s where scenario thinking comes in. By asking, “What if?”—What if AI became every learner’s companion? What if learning happened without electricity? What if qualifications were replaced by portfolios of lived experience? We move from prediction to possibility.

The goal isn’t to get the future right, but to make it ready—to help learning branch, flourish, and thrive in new ecosystems.

Learning as a Living System

In nature, thriving trees rely on diversity, interdependence, and time. They grow in relationship with soil, fungi, weather, and other species. Similarly, flourishing learning systems need more than smart platforms or clever algorithms. They require inclusive design, cultural awareness, human connection, and a commitment to ethical, scalable, innovation.

A learning tree draws from deep roots: wisdom from the past, lived experiences, and educational traditions across the globe. Its trunk holds core values—accessibility, equity, curiosity, creativity. Its branches stretch outward through innovation and experimentation.

The Role of Collective Foresight

One of the great opportunities of our time is not just to anticipate the future, but to work together to shape it. That requires diverse voices from education, business, and the public sphere to come together with shared responsibility and open minds.

Futures-thinking isn’t just for policymakers or technologists. Educators, trainers, designers, learners, and leaders all bring vital insights into what matters, what’s missing, and what might emerge. When we co-create speculative futures, we plant the seeds of resilience and readiness.

And it can be fun. Futuring is energising, playful, and often unexpectedly hopeful, especially when laughter and insight go hand-in-hand.

From Vision to Action

After imagining comes designing. How do we embed futures into today’s systems without overwhelming them? How do we experiment without losing what makes learning deeply human?

One way is to prototype the future in small, tangible ways; in learning cafés, innovation labs, staff rooms, and strategic retreats. Invite people to step briefly into 2035 and work backwards. Ask them to build a branch, name some fruit, and identify a thorn. Through these shared conversations, insight and action begin to grow.

Imagining 2035 Together

What might learning look like in 2035?

-A decarbonized curriculum that weaves environmental stewardship into every subject.

– AI-enhanced mentorship supporting emotional wellbeing and cognitive growth.

– Global learning tribes collaborating across borders through immersive experiences.

– Lifelong learning trees, where credentials grow and adapt throughout life.

– Ethical innovation hubs, co-led by learners, to solve the world’s hardest challenges.

I expect you could think of many more?

These aren’t utopian dreams. They’re sparks of insight, waiting for the right moment to shine.

– What policies or infrastructure would enable them?

– How might learners lead the way?

The answers may not be immediate or complete—but the process creates fertile ground for growth.

Nurturing the Trees

The Learning Tree isn’t just a metaphor—it’s a mindset. We are not passive recipients of future change. We are its co-gardeners. The branches we imagine today may become the pathways our learners climb tomorrow.

Yes, the years ahead bring challenges—polarisation, disinformation, digital divides—but they also offer powerful possibilities for more just, inclusive, and joyful learning.

So, take a walk in a green space today. Think about learning as a living wood. Ask yourself a bold “What if?” And commit to nurturing futures that are deep-rooted, far-reaching, and full of fruit.

Try It Out – or Join Us at OEB25

We’ll be offering a chance to prototype this process in our hands-on, energising final workshop at OEB25. Join us to explore bold futures, co-create a Tree of Future Learning, and end the conference on a high. Or try the metaphor now with your colleagues: give them branches to grow, fruits to name, and thorns to debate. Futures flourish best when planted together.

Written for OEB Global 2025 by Gilly Salmon.

Professor Salmon is a member of OEB25’s Global Council and is dedicated to transforming education –helping institutions, companies, educators, and learners embrace new possibilities with success, growth, confidence, and creativity.