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You say you want a revolution? Transforming education and capacity building in response to global change
Abstract
This paper considers the changes in education and capacity building that are needed in response to environmental and social challenges of the 21st Century. We argue that such changes will require more than adjustments in current educational systems, research funding strategies, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Instead, it calls for a deeper questioning of the assumptions and beliefs that frame both problems and solutions. We first discuss the challenges of transforming education and capacity building within five key arenas: interdisciplinary research; university education systems; primary and secondary education systems; researchers from the developing world; and the public at large and politicians. Our starting point is that any type of revolution that is proposed in response to global change is likely to reflect the educational perspectives and paradigms of those calling for the revolution. We differentiate between a circular revolution (as in the “plan-do-check-act cycle” often used in change management) versus an axial revolution (moving to a different way of thinking about the issues), arguing that the latter is a more appropriate response to the complex transdisciplinary challenges posed by global environmental change. We present some potential tools to promote an axial revolution, and consider the limits to this approach. We conclude that rather than promoting one large and ideologically homogenous revolution in education and capacity building, there is a need for a revolution in the way that leaders working with education and capacity building look at systems and processes of change. From this perspective, transformative learning may not only be desirable, but critical in responding to the challenges posed by global environmental change.
... Considering the informal dimension is also critical in learning process in school Borges et al. (2017), O'Brien et al. (2013 point out that in the current positioning of teaching institutions, there is a tendency to envision scientific knowledge as "a truth that needs to be communicated to 'users', often ignoring other types of knowledge or perspectives", in an often-uncritical stance towards knowledge. Thus, the authors propose for a new paradigm approach in the shift from "science for society" to "society with society". ...
... These concerns about sustainability should naturally also be present in higher education. It is important that the learning and teaching process of sustainability literacy in higher education is taken as a systematic and anticipatory transdisciplinary approach, in the sense of ensuring, through active learning methodologies, that students attain competencies that will enable them to consolidate a lasting environmental awareness (O'Brien et al., 2013). ...
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global partnership's urgent call to action from all developed and developing countries to build a sustainable future. Students play an essential role in achieving this goal because they are the primary objects of formal education who can be involved through concrete actions and appropriate and effective decision-making. In order to achieve this goal, sustainable development capability and capacity, as measured by sustainability literacy, are required. The purpose of this study is to gather information about students' initial perceptions of environmental change subject in relation to students' sustainability literacy. The method used is a descriptive method with a quantitative approach. This study was conducted in February 2023 on 34 students from grade XI in SMAN 1 Bandung who had already completed the subject. Students' sustainability literacy was assessed using a questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was used to examine the data. Finding indicated that the indicator of knowledge was worth 43% within very bad category, knowledge of skills had a value of 44% with a very bad category as well and mindset was worth 55% with a bad category. As a result, it is possible to conclude that students' sustainability literacy is of very bad quality.
... The crucial thing is that it cannot be estimated with any degree of certainty at all where a system currently lies on the axis (horizontal chevroned curve A in Fig. 4), where a tipping point might be, or how close to it the system is at any time, so a precautionary approach is needed in order to avoid sudden system-wide and irreversible change. Precautionary approaches for environmental reasons are not the sort of things governments prioritising short-term economic matters generally do unless they're relatively cheap, as seen in delay after delay in climate change legislation and incentives (Brulle 2014;Carter and Clements 2015, though also see Sprinz and Vaahtoranta 1994), so academic and popular efforts to persuade legislators have seen a steady increase (Eriksen et al. 2011;Feola 2015;IPCC 2014a;Lorek and Spangenberg 2014;O'Brien et al. 2013;Termeer et al. 2017) as the environmental crises get more desperate. ...
This is modified late draft, published with revisions as:
Barker T. and Fisher J. (2019). Ecosystem health as the basis for human health. Chapter 19 in Selendy J.M.H (editor), Water and Sanitation Related Diseases and the Changing Environment: Challenges, Interventions and Preventive Measures. Second edition, Wiley-Blackwell and Horizon International, Hoboken and Chichester.
... With regards to higher education, institutions are called on to develop new avenues for education, including undergraduate and graduate teaching, professional training, executive and adult education, online learning, co-curricular activities, and student clubs and societies [8]. Many have called for a revolutionary change in higher education, to meet the challenges of global environmental change and to shift consciousness and engage actors in research, education, and capacity building with reflexive processes for inherent changes [9]. With the role of higher education being crucial in delivering a sustainable future, several authors have focused on specific aspects of the inclusion of SDGs in higher education and provided a teaching framework that integrated both entrepreneurship and sustainability, valuing the importance of an increased collaboration with external parties [10]. ...
Education for sustainable development has among its pillars, capacity building, which equips future generations with the set of skills needed to face the challenge of the transformation of society for sustainable development. This paper presents a training course for a novel model of long-term energy planning (the ModUlar energy system Simulation Environment, MUSE), as an example of capacity building activities for sustainable development. The activities were part of the Joint Summer School on Modelling Tools for Sustainable development, held in Trieste (Italy) in 2022. This summer school was one of the first successful implementations of education and training courses in a super-hybrid mode in the post-COVID era. Describing the training activities for MUSE open-source, this paper addresses one of the challenges that education for sustainable development is expected to increasingly face in the future: the training of future professionals in the use of novel toolkits and the implementation of truly trans-disciplinary approaches.This paper discusses the pre-school online training course for MUSE, the summer school contents, and some student modeling outcomes. While doing so, it shows the importance of leveraging the abstract contents of a course with practical exercises when learning a new tool. Reflecting upon the students’ experience, this paper draws conclusions that can be used to improve future editions of the same course and be extended to the design of training courses for other tools.
... Indeed, HE is seen by many as fundamental to the creation of opportunities and prosperity in all modern economies. The speed of global change requires a continued evolution of teaching, learning and research (O'Brien et al., 2013). Dommartin (2003) explained that this is vital to improving HE institutions continuously, to move them 'further towards excellence by recognizing, anticipating and understanding the needs of our students, and enhancing the whole student experience' (p. ...
The current study analysed the features of work-based learning models in higher fashion education institutions in Ghana. The study emphasized the need for skilled human resources in the new era of the knowledge-based economy, as this would be crucial for Ghana to become a developed nation. Creative and vocational education in Higher Education (HE) is about creativity and innovativeness. These are the most significant attributes that higher fashion education graduates must possess. The study adopted descriptive research designs due to their nature. The mixed methods technique was considered appropriate for answering the research question as it concerns dynamic phenomena such as innovation and change. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was adopted to select fashion houses in eight regions of Ghana. Both undergraduate and postgraduate fashion students and some graduates practising their acquired skills in the fashion industry were also used as samples for the study. Questionnaires and interviews were utilized to collect data. The major empirical findings of this study suggest that students possess inadequate skills as they embark on work-based learning programs from their various academic institutions. Distinctly, the results revealed that students lacked practical competence in their field of specialization.
... Al respecto, debe notarse que, aunque en las últimas décadas el modelo de universidad pública tradicional ha entrado a competir con el de universidad emprendedora, aquel mantiene todavía su vigencia en el marco de una institucionalidad nacional e internacional que promueve la reforma social por la vía de la educación(Schofer & Meyer, 2005). Se destaca, a este respecto, el surgimiento de fuertes llamados, tanto a nivel global como local, a repensar la estructura y misión de las universidades en el marco de la urgencia y complejidad asociadas a los contemporáneos problemas ambientales, y la importancia de la investigación y educación transdisciplinaria en el marco de los esfuerzos para poner en acto paradigmas de desarrollo sostenibleO'Brien et al., 2013;Yarime et al., 2012).La TD recoge el desafío del modelo de universidad emprendedora en la medida en que, tal como se ha observado anteriormente, el potencial innovador de la TD y su orientación a proveer respuestas más integrales a problemas complejos queda discursivamente asociado a expectativas de competitividad y posicionamiento estratégico de la universidad dentro del panorama nacional e internacional de educación superior. De esa manera, abrazar la TD se presenta como una respuesta posible frente a las crecientes presiones ejercidas sobre la institución, tanto por los legisladores como por su propio entorno socioeconómico: es decir, para promover su conversión en motor de desarrollo científico, tecnológico y económico dentro de una economía crecientemente basada en el conocimiento.Por otro lado, el discurso enfatiza también las aspiraciones transformativas de la TD y su compromiso ético, político y social, lo que se hace explícitamente como una autodescripción de la tradición y misión institucional de la Universidad de Chile, en tanto entidad pública dedicada a velar por el bien común, la equidad y cohesión ...
Resumen: En el marco de las transformaciones sociales contemporáneas, y del nuevo rol adoptado por las universidades, la transdisciplina ha ido ganando un reconocimiento creciente como aproximación para comprender fenómenos que no pueden ser abordados por el modelo tradicional de especialización disciplinar, como el cambio climático, la desigualdad o, recientemente, las pandemias. Sin embargo, existe escaso estudio de experiencias específicas que ayuden a entender qué implica, qué finalidad tiene y cómo puede lograrse una mayor focalización transdisciplinaria en las universidades. Para reducir esta brecha, este artículo analiza los resultados de un diálogo participativo realizado al interior de la Universidad de Chile, examinando distintas narrativas respecto de la emergencia, oportunidades y obstáculos de la transdisciplina; los que, a su vez, dicen relación con las dinámicas históricas, organizacionales y culturales propias de la trayectoria adoptada por esta institución, y la educación superior en general, en el país: i) el compromiso social, inscrito en la tradición y misión académica de la universidad pública; ii) una promesa de novedad, innovación y transformación del quehacer científico y académico, asociada al modelo emergente de universidad emprendedora; y iii) la creciente demanda avanzada para una reforma profunda del sistema de educación superior en el país.
... Critical scholars exploring transformations to sustainability have found that what is labelled as transformative change is often shallow and does not reflect radical shifts (Blythe et al. 2018;O'Brien et al. 2013), with 'transformation' itself considered a buzzword. We therefore posit that by unpacking the term coexistence in relation to buzzwords, signifiers, boundary objects, processes of translation and standardised packages, we provide important insights into contemporary debates on the processes of, and barriers to, the transformations to sustainability that convivial conservation-and others -call for. ...
... Critical scholars exploring transformations to sustainability have found that what is labelled as transformative change is often shallow and does not reflect radical shifts (Blythe et al. 2018;O'Brien et al. 2013), with 'transformation' itself considered a buzzword. We therefore posit that by unpacking the term coexistence in relation to buzzwords, signifiers, boundary objects, processes of translation and standardised packages, we provide important insights into contemporary debates on the processes of, and barriers to, the transformations to sustainability that convivial conservation-and others -call for. ...
We critically unpack the term 'coexistence' and discuss its potential to facilitate transformative change in wildlife governance.
... Critical scholars exploring transformations to sustainability have found that what is labelled as transformative change is often shallow and does not reflect radical shifts (Blythe et al. 2018;O'Brien et al. 2013), with 'transformation' itself considered a buzzword. We therefore posit that by unpacking the term coexistence in relation to buzzwords, signifiers, boundary objects, processes of translation and standardised packages, we provide important insights into contemporary debates on the processes of, and barriers to, the transformations to sustainability that convivial conservation-and others -call for. ...
This chapter introduces the edited book 'Convivial Conservation: From Principles to Practice' and synthesises the contributions through exploration of three overarching themes.
This article advances a novel analytical framework for investigating the influence of political-economic processes in human-wildlife interactions (HWI) to support efforts to transform wildlife conservation governance. To date, the majority of research and advocacy addressing HWI focuses on micro-level processes, while even the small body of existing literature exploring social dimensions of such interactions has largely neglected attention to political-economic forces. This is consonant with efforts to transform conservation policy and practice more broadly, which tend to emphasize “circular” change within current political-economic structures rather than “axial” transformation aiming to transcend these structures themselves. Our analysis thus advances understanding of potential for axial transformation in HWI via confrontation with, and “unmaking” of, constraining political-economic structures. It does so through cross-site analysis of conservation policy and practice in relation to three apex predator species (lions, jaguars and wolves) in varied geographic and socio-political contexts, grounded in qualitative ethnographic study within the different sites by members of an international research team. We explore how the relative power of different political-economic interests within each case influences how the animals are perceived and valued, and how this in turn influences conservation interventions and their impact on HWI within these spaces. We term this analysis of the “production-protection nexus” (the interrelation between process of resource extraction and conservation, respectively) in rural landscapes. We emphasize importance of attention to this formative nexus both within and across specific locales in growing global efforts to transform situations of human-wildlife conflict into less contentious coexistence.
It is easy to describe the mess the world is in, and to preach large changes of heart. Short, saleable books which do that may be useful if they persuade people in good directions, but only if people know how to move in those directions. (Hugh Stretton, 1976, p. 2)
In June 1992, the UN Conference on Environment and Development will be held in Brazil. A follow up to the World Commission on Environment and Development, it will mark the twentieth anniversary of the first UN conference on the environment, held in Stockholm in 1972. Promoting environmental education is one of 23 objectives for the conference.
Conference delegates in Brazil are likely to hear that the global ecological crisis has worsened, that sustainable development is not being realised, and that there is a continuing need for education. Yet more initiatives in environmental education are likely to be advocated and some delegates will go away feeling happier.
What they and others may fail to realise is that much environmental education is part of the problem rather than the solution. Current practice fails to reveal the true causes of environmental problems and to educate pupils in ways which enable them to realise sustainable development. It is based on inadequate theory and practice yet receives increasing support from powerful elites who must manage the global ecological crisis in their own interests.
A high and sustainable quality of life is a central goal for humanity. Our current socio-ecological regime and its set of interconnected worldviews, institutions, and technologies all support the goal of unlimited growth of material production and consumption as a proxy for quality of life. However, abundant evidence shows that, beyond a certain threshold, further material growth no longer significantly contributes to improvement in quality of life. Not only does further material growth not meet humanity's central goal, there is mounting evidence that it creates significant roadblocks to sustainability through increasing resource constraints (i.e., peak oil, water limitations) and sink constraints (i.e., climate disruption). Overcoming these roadblocks and creating a sustainable and desirable future will require an integrated, systems level redesign of our socio-ecological regime focused explicitly and directly on the goal of sustainable quality of life rather than the proxy of unlimited material growth. This transition, like all cultural transitions, will occur through an evolutionary process, but one that we, to a certain extent, can control and direct. We suggest an integrated set of worldviews, institutions, and technologies to stimulate and seed this evolutionary redesign of the current socio-ecological regime to achieve global sustainability.
This article reviews definitions and frameworks for sustainability in higher education by examining a set of major national and international declarations and institutional policies related to environmental sustainability in universities. It identifies emerging themes and priorities, and discusses how these declarations and policies are affecting various institutions in how they frame the central task of becoming sustainable and how they perceive their own commitment to sustainability. © 2002 International Association of Universities. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.