Social Learning, Sustainability and the Importance of Social Networking

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Social Learning, Sustainability and the
Importance of Social Networking

• Celadna, Czech Republic
• November 12, 2009
• Michael R. Edelstein, Ph.D.
• Ramapo College of N.J.

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Limits to Growth 1972 Club of Rome

• Limits constrain growth model of 2100 on data
  1900-1970. 6 assumptions
• Finite stock of exploitable, non-renewable
  resources
• Finite amount of land to grow food
• Finite capacity of environment to absorb
  pollution
• Technological change is incremental assuming
  money and environmental technology to allow.
• Finite yield of food from any unit of arable land

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Ecological Problems Caused by Problems of Social
Learning

• Dominant Modern Paradigm
• Domination
• Growth
• Technology
• Self
• Social Darwinism

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Crisis of the Modern Paradigm

• Cultural Groups Develop insider views of the
  world---shared sets of assumptions, jargon,
  definitions, methods---that cause them to see the
  world similarly.
• Resist change
• Anomaly
• Explanation
• Crisis
• Alternative Explanation--Sustainability
• Defense
• Sustainability Revolution

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OPTIONS FOR CHANGE

• Reliance on maintenance rather than innovative
  learning undermines sustainability
• Waste Disposal over Material Cycling
• Reluctance to adopt prevention and precaution
• HOW DO WE CHANGE?
• EDUCATION---Idea that we can learn our way around
  crises.
• CRISIS---Idea that undeniable anomalies are
  required to motivate change

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Crisis as Basis for Change

• Environmental Turbulence

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NIMBY VS. NUMBY

• Beck we live in terror due to toxic legacy
• Edelstein we assume that all is well until
  proven otherwise risk is not a naïve concept
• NIMBY---Not in my Backyard Syndrome
• NUMBY---Risk must intrude on normalcy
• Abstract threat must become personal
• 3 Cs (cause, consequence, controllability)
• In assessing an identified and accepted risk,
  must weigh-Knowns---risk personality ex. MIREX
• -Unknowns---inherent uncertainties

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Education as Locus of Change

• Botkin et al Club of Rome
• No Limits to Learning
• Reliance on Maintenance Learning
• Blindly Supports system
• Expert Specialists

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Failures of Social Learning

• Media corrupted by vested interests, ideology,
  consumerism and other forces of distortion
• Education gap for Individuals and communities
• Learning how to learn
• critical thinking
• integrative thinking
• corrective participation
• Disinterest and disabling
• Expert dependence
• Ecological literacy gaps
• Corrective methods disabled (ex. EIA)
• Endemic problems affect democratic and
  authoritarian

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Social Learning as Constraint

• Block reality of old paradigm failure, reasons
  and consequences
• Minimize ability to question, understand and act
• Limit ability to observe problems
• Limit freedom of experts to openly evaluate
• Dampen creativity and initiative
• Rewards given for work that maintains the status
  quo
• Limit interest beyond self and immediate family
• Community, place and region are ignored

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Botkin et al Club of Rome

• No Limits to Learning
• Maintenance Learning
• Blindly Supports system
• Expert Specialists
• Innovative Learning
• Anticipatory
• Participatory
• Generalist

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Friere Pedagogy of Oppressed

• Neo/Colonials educate to control client societies
• Not educate for free thought but as
• Bankers depositing facts into minds
• Train class of technocrats to help exploit
  natural resources or divert agriculture to export
• Allegiance to modern paradigm

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Behaviorism and Direct Education

• Information expert based
• pedagogy top down and controlling
• subject to testing and evaluation
• confuse relationship of fact and values
• educator as technocratic who knows the truth
• learner is passive and ignorant until enlightened
  

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Critical Learning

• Bateson---Meta Learning
• Bruner--- Meta Cognition
• Botkin et al---Innovative Learning
• Anticipatory
• Participatory

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Web 2.0 Influence

• Informed
• Enabled
• Empowered
• Social Networked
• Mutual Learning---Synchrony
• Discourse based on dilemmas---guidance
• From collective stupidity to collective
  intelligence

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Donald Korten, The Great Turning, San Francisco,
Ca. Berrett Koehler, p. 32

• EMPIRE
• Life is Hostile and Competitive
• Humans are Flawed and Dangerous
• Order by Dominating Hierarchy
• Compete or Die
• Love Power
• Defend the Rights of Self
• Masculine Dominant

• EARTH COMMUNITY
• Life is Supportive and Cooperative
• Humans Have Many Possibilities
• Order through Partnership
• Cooperate and Live
• Love Life
• Defend the Rights of All
• Gender Balanced

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Democracy

• Grass rootsmomentum from bottom
• Cultural Tuning-
• Re-ascendance of Women
• Making Democracy Work---accountability AND
  INVOLVEMENT

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Civil Society


Community

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Three Folding
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SUSTAINABILITY AS THE TRUE POST MODERNITY

• Third Path---How you get from here to there.
• MetaAnalysis and Thinking
• Innovative Learning
• Anticipatory
• Participatory
• Changing the culture of contamination
• Deconstruction to reconstruction

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Culture

• Cultural Diversity as an asset
• ---Mutual Learning---Pratec---Apfel Margolin
• Reshape expert systems to co-learning systems
• Learning as Domination or Freedom---Friere
• Helen Ross---Aboriginal Co-Management
• Empowering people by recognizing their assets,
  competency and indigenous knowledge

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REDISCOVERING PLACE

• Ecological integrity
• Beauty
• Shawn Del Joyce---Wallkill River School
  www.shawndelljoyce.com/default.php
• Stewardship
• Edible Landscape
• Permaculture

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Reorienting development

• Development as a model of Economic Growth and
  Domination
• Social Darwinism
• Civilizing the Savage
• Development as a Model of Enlightenment
• Siddhartha
• Health---food
• Energy as a means of earth connection not divorce

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Creating Community

• Community of Place
• Community of Interest
• Neighborhood --- public/private, pedestrian
• Local Business---Schuman
• CSA as an example---Cheryl Rogowski
• Share and co-workers
• Low Income Bronx
• Local Food Movement
• Farmers Markets
• Heirlooms and Diversity

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PROCESS LEARNING FOR WIN/WIN

• WIN-LOSE ME THINKING
• LOSE-LOSE
• WIN-WIN US THINKING
• ALTRUISM VS GREED
• SOCIAL PROCESSES FOR WIN WIN
• COLLABORATIVE MODELS---ALL ARE LEADERS AND
  FOLLOWERS
• DONT BE AFRAID TO LEAD
• DONT BE AFRAID TO FOLLOW

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Reshaping Money

• Subsistence
• Bernard Leotarthe terra---inverting growth
• the more resources and people abused, the less
  value instead of more
• Edgar CahnTime Dollars
• Support reciprocity
• Support Shadow Economy
• Informal Sector
• Support all having assets
• Caring as part of economy

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Can Social Learning From Localized Crises Promote
Societal Change?
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Decision Rules

• Veto
• Majority/Minority
• Representative majority
• Consensus by indecision
• True Consensus
• Unanimity
• Unanimity by coercion

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Liberating Creative Potential CONSENSUS BUILDING

• Being heard
• Listening
• Dealing with vested interests---stakeholders
• Dealing with hidden agendae---honesty
• Shaping the consensus
• Gwen Hallsmith---sustainable planning

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New Technological Choices

• Waste to Ethanol Example
• Hybrid Car
• Renewable Energy
• Organic Food

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Third Paths

• Thinking outside the box
• Systems thinking
• EIA
• SPIA

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Bruner, Jerome Triangle of Knowledge