Reorientation….

Towards sustainable

education

- Dr Stephen Sterling

Centre for Sustainable Futures University of Plymouth

 

 

 

 

 

Reorientation…

1 Context and perception

2 Challenge and ‘response-ability’

3 Towards ‘sustainable education’

4 Realising paradigms

5 Getting there…

Reorientation…part 1

Context and perception

Getting the picture…

Where on Earth are we going..?!

OR

The new conditions

stresses

unsustainability

uncertainty dense interdependence

globalisation

complexity

ecosystem degradation

inequity

insecurities

Whole systems thinking

“When we limit ourselves to fragmented approaches to dealing with systemic problems, it is not surprising that our solutions prove inadequate. If our species is to survive the predicaments we have created for ourselves, we must develop a capacity for whole-systems thought and action.”

- David Korten, 1995, 11

Mismatch

‘The world is a complex, interconnected, finite, ecological-social-psychological-economic system. We treat it as if it were not, as if it were divisible, separable, simple, and infinite. Our persistent, intractable, global problems arise directly from this mismatch.’

- Donella Meadows, 1982

Seeing differently

‘To live in the third millenium we shall need more than incremental improvements on our

current rationality; we shall need new thinking joined with new ways of perceiving and visioning ourselves, others, nature and the world around us.’

- Ervin Laszlo 1997

Thinking differently

‘…proper understanding of the way the world works requires people to learn how to think systemically, holistically, integratively, and in a futures mode.’

Lester Milbrath ‘Envisioning a Sustainable Society’

-New Thinking for a New Millenium, 1996

Reorientation… part 2

Challenge and ‘response - ability’

Why a change of educational culture?

The ability to respond…

SUSTAIN – ABILITY

RESPONSE – ABILITY

‘Daunting agenda…exciting possibilities’

• Power civilisation by sunlight• Grow food and fibre sustainably• Dis-invent the concept of waste• Preserve biodiversity• Restore ruined ecologies• Reduce materials, water and land use per head• Rethink the political basis of modern societies• Develop economies that can be sustained within

nature’s limits• Distribute wealth fairly within and between generations

- Prof David Orr

Nine challenges

Re-learning

This century may well be one of relearning on a grand scale…

This learning…needs to be a core part of learning across society, necessitating a metamorphosis of many of our current education and learning constructs.

- Sea Change –Learning and education for sustainability, NZ Parliamentary Commission for the Environment, 2004

 

Learning levels

First order change Effectiveness/ efficiency

‘Doing things better’

Second order change

Examining assumptions

‘Doing better things’

Third order change

Paradigm change ‘Seeing things differently’

From accommodation to systemic change

‘The biggest challenge for educationalists is the proposition that

education for sustainable development cannot simply be added onto existing learning,

but requires a systemic change to the learning process

and priorities in education’.

- From Here to Sustainability The Real World Coalition, Earthscan, 2001

Levels of knowing

Actions

Ideas/theories

Norms/assumptions

Beliefs/values

Paradigm/worldview

Metaphysics/cosmology

Levels of educational thinking

Practice

Provision

Policy

Purpose

Paradigm

Reorientation… Part 3

Towards sustainable education

How do we underpin a collaborative culture?

A different way of looking at education? Possible characteristics…

• integrative/relational/holistic

• human-scale and participative

• learner-centred

• critical and systemic

• real-world and future oriented

• experiential

• values-based

• transformative

‘Sustainable Education’

Does sustainability

require:

‘Re-Visioning Learning and Change?

Sustainable education?

• Sustaining - people, communities, ecosystems

• Tenable - ethically defensible, working with integrity, fairness, respect, inclusiveness

• Healthy - systems and subsystems

World as machine or as living system?

Learning ‘as’ sustainability

Educational values

• autonomy• capacity-building• participation• collaboration

Sustainable development values

• self-organisation• development and

conservation of potential• resilience• community

Reorientation… Part 4

Realising paradigms

What are the implications for change?

Levels of educational thinking

Practice

Provision

Policy

Purpose

Paradigm

Rough paradigm map

Educationalparadigm

Positivist Interpretivist;

ConstructivistCritical;

radical

Poststructural Participative

Role of educator

Instruction Facilitation Critical pedagogy/‘transformative

intellectual’

Deconstruct- ion

Mediation, mentoring/ ‘invitational’ leadership

Curriculum Prescribed Constructivist;

Learner centered

Issues based

Pluralist Indicative, emergent

Pedagogy Delivery Transactional

 

Critical pedagogy

Deconstruc

- tive

Co-inquiry

Choose your metaparadigm…

Mechanism

Objectivist

Reductionist, dualistic  

Reductive

Ecology/living systems

Participative

Holistic, integrative

Systemic

Metaphor:

Epistemology:

Ontology:

Methodology:

Choose your metaphor….

• Mechanistic view of education

• Reductionist view of knowledge

• Deficit view of learner

• Transmissive model of pedagogy

• Ecological (relational) view of education

• Holistic view of knowledge

• Appreciative view of learner

• Transactional or transformative view of pedagogy

Choose your approach…

Mechanistic

• instrumental values

• prescriptive

• outputs and fixed outcomes

• control

Ecological• intrinsic values

first

• indicative

• emergence and open outcomes

• participation

Purposes of education

• Vocational - preparing for economic life

• Socialisation - reproduction of culture, promotion of citizenship

• Liberal - developing individual’s potential

• Transformative - education for change, for a better world

‘Where we are’ (dominant ideas)

• Purpose - education as preparation for economic life

• Policy - education as product (courses/qualifications)

• Practice - education as instruction

‘Where we need to go’ (newer ideas)

• Purpose - education for sustainable society, economy and ecology

• Policy - education as process of individual and social

capacity building• Practice - education as participative

learning

From control to participation

FROM: • Overspecialisation and

fragmentation • Single issue

management• Top-down policy

making

• Disciplinarity• Goal oriented planning

TOWARDS:

• More integrated structures

• Integrated decision-making

• Participative approaches• Inter and trans

disciplinarity• Adaptive management

Shifts in curriculum, content and process

• Curriculum as top-down ‘product’

• Fixed knowledge• Abstract knowledge• Teaching/instruction• Few learning styles• Passive learning

• Curriculum as experience/situated learning

• Provisional knowledge

• Real world knowledge• Participative learning• Multiple learning styles• Reflective/active learning

Shifts in structures and policy

• Disciplinarity• Specialisation• External assessment

• Teaching system• Formal education

• Inter and transdisciplinarity• Broadness and flexibility• Continous internal

assessment and reflection

• Learning system• (As part of) life-long

education

Towards sustainable institutions

FROM

• Incoherence and fragmentation

• Large scale• Closed community• Teaching organisation• Microcosm of

unsustainable society

TOWARDS

• Systemic coherence and synergy

• Human scale

• Open community

• Learning organisation

• Microcosm of sustainable society

Dimensions of change

ETHOS

PEDAGOGY, RESEARCH,LEARNING, INQUIRY

COMMUNITY LINKS

CURRICULUM

RESOURCEMANAGEMENT

PHYSICALSTRUCTURES

MANAGEMENTSTYLE

Reorientation… Part 5

Getting there...

Journeying with inspiration…

Significant change depends on...

a) A deeper critique - of current trends

b) A broader vision - of necessary alternatives

c) An effective strategy - of systemic change

Learning responses to the challenge of sustainability

• No response - no change

• Accommodation - green ‘gloss’

• Reformation - serious reform

• Transformation - whole system redesign

Different levels of engagement

• Education about sustainability: content and/or estate emphasis. Fairly easily accommodated into existing system. Learning about change.

• Education for sustainability: values and skills emphasis. Greening of institutions. Deeper questioning and reform of purpose, policy and practice. Learning for change.

• Sustainable education: Capacity building and action emphasis. Sustainable institutions/communities. Learning as change.

Learning points from AFANet

• Sustainability is imprecise.

• Integrating sustainability requires the re-thinking of institutional purposes.

• Sustainability is complex and multifaceted.

• Teaching it requires the transformation of mental models.

• Programming sustainability requires a rethinking of teaching and learning.

• There is no universal blueprint for educational change towards sustainability.

Two sorts of change

Piecemeal change• changing parts of a

system• no consideration of

system as a whole

• often imposed

• often short-lived

Systemic change• change with effect on

whole system in mind• change with emergence

in mind

• by purposeful, collaborative design

• often long-lived

Ingredients of systemic change

• Endorsement from the top• Inclusion• Collaborative ethos• Action research and

feedback• Encouraging reflection• High levels of

connectivity and communication

• ‘Champions’ and keenies

• Active alliances outside system

• Exemplars• Leadership• Channels and publicity

to spread innovation• Appreciative culture• Resources/support• Rewards AND…?

Designing fulfilling learning environments…eg.

reflective learning for individuals and the institution cooperation and shared purpose the enjoyment of learning service and creating opportunity for service treading lightly and living simply the intrinsic value of work of all kinds celebrating diversity recognising limitations a good experience for everyone

- Schumacher College values

• Efficiency• Sufficiency• Equity and

justice• Community• Diversity• Inclusion• Democracy

• Subsidiarity

• Self-reliance

• Participation

• Futurity and trusteeship

• Resilience and durability

• System health

Sustainability values

Key dimensions

Perceptual - ethos, values

Conceptual

- understanding

Practical

- design, action

Guiding principles Extension

- inclusive boundaries

Linking

- understanding connections

Integration

- towards systems health

Implement strategies eg…

Regarding what we do now:• What is of value that we need to keep?• What might need modification?• What do we probably need to abandon?• What new ideas, principles,

methodologies, working methods, or policies are needed?

Reasons to be cheerful?

• HEFCE Policy Sustainable Development in HE• HEA research on ‘Embedding ESD’ and 5 yr programme• Three ESD-related CETLs and network• National networks: Forum’s HEPS, DEA, EAUC• Education Commissioner - Sustainable Development

Commission• UN Decade of ESD• International networks and agreements eg Global HE for

Sustainability Partnership (GHESP), IAU

‘Vision is absolutely necessary to guide and motivate action. More than that,

vision, when widely shared and firmly kept in sight, brings into being new

systems’.

- Donella Meadows,Beyond the Limits to Growth,

1992