Network learning and transitional change in a global project for transforming sustainability education.

Abstract

Educational strategies globally are changing from an authoritative, top-down model to one focused on greater student and stakeholder participation and collaborative involvement in planning and implementation of educational activities. In addition to emphasis on student-centered education, strategies are evolving to encompass learning organizations and learning networks. These are essential to address the complexity and scope of tomorrow’s challenges, involving issues that could be called ’wicked problems’ not easily addressed by single disciplines nor resulting in solutions that please all the players. Such incommensurate problems make it essential to tap into all possible sources of information, to explore multiple learning strategies for solutions, and to seek answers that will be acceptable to all those impacted. Such an approach includes knowledge co-production, and methods of co-learning to reach mutually acceptable outcomes. Meaningful transitions or transformations require attention to creative network organisation, learning through practical action, cooperation and mutual respect among participants, comfortable and meaningful activities with stakeholders, agreed-upon structures and practices, agreed-upon outcomes and methods to reach them, as well as shared commitment to complete tasks and share of credit for accomplishing them. The NEXTFOOD Network is used as an example of how these goals were set, and how a transformation through their implementation is playing out. A successful transition involves ownership by all the players, meaningful and lasting changes in roles of various players and their institutions, willingness to experiment with new methods, and shared responsibility for outputs and impacts. NEXTFOOD Network partners are making concerted efforts to overcome institutional, disciplinary, and long-established barriers to this type of transformation in education, and have dealt with the unique pandemic challenges to creating a meaningful transition that will emerge as a resilient and pro-active strategy for the continual improvement of cooperative education.