A pedagogical approach to adult Education for Sustainable Development
1. AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
PEDAGOGICAL
APPROACH TO ADULT
ESD
Capacity building for sustainable societal
change – some lessons from empirical projects
and observations
2. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
THIS PRESENTATION
Two sources of inspiration:
• Key points from evaluations of the two first Nordic in-service training courses on adult
ESD
• Examples and lessons about capacity building from efforts to promote sustainable
social change
3. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
THE NORDIC COURSE AND ITS EXAMPLE
PEDAGOGY
Example Pedagogy:
Most remarkable and succesful
Concrete/sensuous
Reflections/Knowledge sharing
Addresses need for hope and identity
From examples to exemplary learning
To link practice and theory
To find the general in the concrete
Use examples with general points
Example: Local NOAH groups in the 70’ties
4. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
EXPLORE THE CURRENT
CONSTELLATIONS
Example:
The break through of organic food in Denmark
Simple causal logic: Lower prices
Constellatoric logic: Several simultaneous factors
Education as one ‘star’ in the constellation
Lesson: Effects of social change efforts depends on the
competence of analyzing the current constellation of factors.
Thus this kind of ‘sociological imagination’ is important in
capacity building of sustainable change agents
Question: What is the role of capacity building in the current
situations in our countries?
5. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
WALK ON TWO LEGS
Example:
The two most succesful environmental
movements in Denmark: The energy and organic
food movements
Lesson:
technological/practical and consumer
culture oriented
criticism and alternatives
Questions:
Where are we today? What can move the
criticism and alternatives forward – and how
and where can capacity building empower
such processes?
Education from and for sustainability
6. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
DON’T THROW LOCAL PROJECTS OUT
– ONLY THE BATH WATER!
Examples:
Green Municipalities
Green Guide Scheme
Lessons:
In general: Assimilations, not
transgressions
However, also examples of new
commitments and structural change
effects
Capacity building as empowering people
to face and overcome road blocks for
sustainability
7. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
OVERCOME PASSIFYING STRATEGIES
Example:
Alternativet – new Danish political
party
Lessons:
Change agents needs to face their
opponents and address their efforts to
‘out- og in-define’ them.
Do not get in a fixed position. Combine
radical and konventional actions
Suggest attractive (competing)
alternatives
Capacity building as ability to reveal
passifying techniques and cope with
resistance
8. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
MANAGE YOUR OWN ENTHUSIASM
Example:
Mrs. Green
Lesson:
Enthusiasm is crucial – in positive or
negative ways
Capacity building as a matter of learning
both capacity builders and students to
cope with their own enthusiasm
Engagement, will and strength combined
with emphaty, respect, open mindedness
9. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
LESSONS FROM SAMSØ
Example:
Samsø renewable energy island
Lessons:
Social ecological approach
Regular inclusion of economy
Drawing on history and cultural identity
Narration of the collective learning
Careful facilitation
Social learning and change as long
termed processes
Capacity building by means of
exemplary learning
10. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
FROM EXEMPLARY LEARNING TO
RE-CONTEXTUALISATION
Criticism of ‘best practice’ as immediate
transferable solutions
Alternative approach: C-A-C
C: interesting concrete examples
A: Exemplary learning from examples
C: Recontextualisation to own time and
place
Capacity building as giving time and guidance
in re-contextualisation
Example: the Nordic in-service training course:
Each students worked with a sustainablity
change project in their own context
Concrete Concrete
Abstract
11. AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
EXTRA MATERIAL
12. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
CHANGE AGENT ‘LANDSCAPE’
open-ended
instrumental
Personal involvedPersonal detached
Editor's Notes
The title indicate that this presentation will introduce you to an educational/pedagogical theory. But that is not what I will do.
Focus is on capacity building
However, rather than generic pedagogical theories about capacity building applied on Adult ESD, I will use some empirical examples – some from Adult ESD – others from efforts to promote sustainable societal changes that may help us with lessons about what kinds of capacity building we need to promote such changes.
From now on, I will present in an exemplary way (not ideal way) by taking examples and drawing some lessons from them.
These type of historical/contextual analyses are more or less absent in educational theory
Where are we today: My impression is that we need a lot more focus on the economic dimension of sustainablity: High risk of a soon coming economic collapse. The critical leg: Criticism of the fast expanding and totally unsustainable finance capital system. Alternative: Cooperative sustainable economy. Capacity building as exemplary explorations and site for ‘schooling of the hopes for alternative economic institutions’.
Do not deny the barriers! Long term processes. Successes are important. Competent change agents. Organisation. Norm supporting structures.
Examples of structural change: Lundegården, The User group in Albertslund, Hotel and Restaurant School, political consumption > sustainable enterprises/alternative institutions.
Adult ESE do not normally address the issue of coping with opponents