Tomorrow today; 2010 - unesdoc - Unesco

Waste in and around schoolscommunities in discussions on this tension. Not surprisingly, thecommunities come up with some novel solutions to the problemand the learning process can progress. Most interesting, however,is that all three – the researcher, the community members and thebeekeeper trainers – have experienced transformative learning. Allof their assumptions have been changed by this interaction.There are many other examples like this where ESD learning processesare set up and managed by teachers or learning facilitators.The aim is to support transformative learning, but the results do notalways reflect this intention.Towards transformative learningSo what is transformative learning? From the stories above, wecould suggest that transformative learning requires learners to beengaged in ‘why’ questions, and questions about how practices canbe changed. The children in the South African school could havebeen supported to ask questions such as:• Why is waste created?• Who is creating the waste?• How can this be changed?• What do we do if we are the ones creating the waste?These are complex questions that force teachers and learners aliketo examine ethics and values, why things are done the way they are,and most importantly, how practices can be changed.Transformative learning also involves meaningful participation, inwhich teachers are willing to listen to learners and to other stakeholders,and to engage in dialogue. In the Botswana story, once theteachers were prepared to listen to the children, the lessons becamemore relevant to the children, the children were no longer justfollowing instructions, but they were helping to develop solutions.Image: Kate DaviesTransformative learning also involves giving adequateattention to language and culture in learning. Thebeekeeper training failed because the materials werenot accessible to the learners, except via the facilitators’mediation, and because the facilitator had not taken thetime to understand cultural practices associated withbees, before the training.Transformative learning also involves engaging withcomplex tensions and difficult obstacles in the learningprocess, such as the problem experienced in thebeekeeper training. Engaging with dissonance is animportant feature of transformative learning.Educational researchers, like the three referred toin the stories above, are working with teachers andlearners to understand how transformative learning fora sustainable world can be strengthened. In Europe,researchers have been developing what they call an‘action competence’ approach to support transformativelearning. 6 In this approach, children are involvedin asking ‘why’ questions, in formulating new visionsof how things can be done differently, and in tryingthese out. In Latin America, researchers and teachersare focusing on the participation of children in environmentalmanagement practices in their communities.This work suggests that children need to be listened to,and be given the opportunity to develop solutions toproblems, with support of adults. 7 In southern Africa,researchers and teachers are developing approachesto transformative learning that are culturally situated.Teachers are being encouraged to start their lessonswith ‘local story’ as this helps to bridge the gap betweenexisting knowledge, practices and cultural experience,and new knowledge and practices. 8 In Canada,methods are being developed to support teachers andlearners to engage in critically examining and discussingthe values and ethics embedded in their practices. 9In the Netherlands, ESD researchers are developingapproaches to transformative social learning that focuson engaging dissonance and diversity in the learningprocess. 10 This work, taking place across the planet, isencouraging, but more teachers, researchers and learnersneed to get involved.While we are always learning something, it may notbe transformative, and even if the intention is to learnabout a more sustainable world, this does not necessarilyresult in transformative learning. Supportingapproaches to learning that are transformative is acentral focus of ESD, which would not exist withoutan interest in transformative learning. However, as thestories above suggest, transformative learning is notjust about the topic being studied. It is the way thatteachers teach that matters. Teachers need to focus onthe ‘why’ question, encourage dialogue, engage learnersin complex ethical discussions about what could bedone differently, and consider language and culture inhow they situate the lessons. They need to be preparedto engage with dissonance, and seek out solutions toissues and develop new, changed practices with learners.Only then can transformative learning result.[ 188 ]