University of Southern Denmark
Teaching for Active Learning Conference
November 8th 2022
Teaching for Active Learning Conference
November 8th 2022
Developing Competent & Creative People for the 21st Century:
An Ecological Narrative
Norman Jackson
The conference theme uses the idea of ‘competence(s)’ as an educational organising principle. This begs the question – competence for what? The 21st century is partly known but is mostly unknown. The contemporary world is full of turbulence and disruption and the future, according to some forecasts, will be disturbingly challenging for humanity. But one thing is certain, unless we educate people today to live a life for a future that is sustainable, the future will be bleak. So education has two significant tasks namely, to help young people prepare themselves as best they can to cope with and flourish in a world in continuous formation and to enable people to contribute to its formation in ways that are more likely to sustain its future. In other words the moral purpose of education most extend beyond benefits to the individual and their society to embrace benefits to the planet and the future.
My ecological narrative draws on a holistic concept of competence, an ecological concept of learning, practice and achievement and an ecological, transformational concept of creativity. The power in these ecological ideas is that they enable us to relate and integrate learning, creativity, thinking and practice, and the ontological state of being and becoming, to the everyday lives, real world environments and experiences of people. By recognising that we are fundamentally ecological interbeings, enacting life within and with an ecological world of relationships, connectivity and interdependencies we are also laying the foundations for a society and a future based on ecological principles.
This is not a call to abandon outcome-based educational designs for learning, rather it should be viewed as an opportunity for an expanded view of learning, development and competency that embraces an ecological world view and enables learners to create their own ecologies for competent creative practice. I will provide some illustrations of higher education teaching and learning practices that are consistent with these ideas.
Background Paper: Concept of Ecological Competence Presentation
|
|
| ||||||
