Models of Learning
Exploring Development Challenges Through Gaming Simulations: Reflections on Epistemology, Pedagogy and Methodology
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Linda Cornwell
This paper explores the use of simulation games in exposing university students to key issues of poverty, exclusion, social (in)justice and development. Focusing on the co-creation of knowledge, and the understanding of plural perspectives, the paper explores notions of “community” (as constituent part of community building, community development and community engagement). The value of development-based gaming simulations, which provide a reflexive educational tool that enables participants to co-create a shared history and that sensitizes them to development challenges, is examined.
Green Teams, Living Labs, and Venue Tours: Using Sport as a Venue and Vehicle to Elevate Sustainability Learning
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Madeleine Orr, Brian P. Mc Cullough, Jamee Pelcher, Monica Rowand
On college campuses across North America, sport management programs and sustainability offices are leveraging the visibility of sport, and students’ interest in sport, to educate undergraduates about sustainability. The potential for the sport industry to engage broad audiences on environmental issues has been well established in the literature (e.g. Inoue & Kent, 2012; Trendafilova & McCullough, 2018). The sport industry benefits from an advantageous position with respect to public engagement due to the close affiliation between fans and their favorite teams (McCullough & Kellison, 2016; Pfahl, 2011). In recent years, the industry has recognized the opportunity to improve their PR image and bottom line by becoming better stewards of the natural environment (Chard & Mallen, 2012; Mallen, Adams, Stevens & Thompson, 2010). Three sport-related experiential learning techniques that have been particularly useful for advancing sustainability learning are green teams, living labs, and venue tours. Each technique offers an opportunity to highlight the theories that support sustainability work, as well as hands-on experience with sustainable operations that benefit both the student and the organization. This analysis offers an overview of each technique, examples of how it has been implemented in various universities and program contexts, and the externalities of experiential learning in sport sustainability, which include heightened public (sport fans) awareness of- and engagement with- sport sustainability initiatives.
Experiential Learning through Sustainable Tiny House Design/Build Education
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Deborah Naybor
The collapse of the inflated US real estate market a decade ago caused many homeowners to lose sight of the American dream of home ownership. For some however, this jolt created a drive to investigate smaller, more sustainable housing. The idea of homesteading, building your own home from reclaimed materials or living with less became necessary for some and a new dream of self-sufficiency for others. Both old and young were drawn to the tiny house movement. The recent growth of TV shows, books, workshops, and how-to videos is exponential. This paper examines the recent development of educational opportunities available through college credit tiny house design and construction courses. While students in this study report that they highly value practical skills and the potential of being able to build their own home, they also gain firsthand problem solving and project management experience. This paper documents the development of hands on education in sustainable tiny houses. It examines the current state of design/build education at the college and university level. A case study of the development of tiny house courses provides a look at benefits and challenges of creating experiential learning opportunities. It demonstrated a high level of interest by students and perspective students and examines the hurdles of access to space and materials for courses.
Democratic Education for Active Citizenship in the Sustainability Social Movement: Spaces of Transgression from Tactical Urbanism to Institutions of Learning
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Allison Earl
As an emerging field in formal education Education for Sustainability needs practical tools for program co-design and evaluation of Sustainability Practitioners that are useful in a complex and multivalent understanding of sustainability. Viewed as a social movement, Education for Sustainability can be reframed as a democratic education geared towards generating active citizenship, mobilised towards the sustainability social movement. This paper explores these ideas through their application in three research projects spanning the three realms of Community Education, Higher Education, and School Education. This first explores spaces of transgression between democratic active citizenship in civil society, exemplified by Tactical Urbanism, and learning institutions. The second aims to develop a flexible Sustainability Practitioner Mapping tool for program co-design based on an open and individualised approach to attaining Key Sustainability Capabilities. The third implements a pilot CityStudio K-12 school-based program aimed at fostering active citizenship in youth through student-led local action projects in public space. Each project addresses Education for Sustainability as a Democratic Education for Active Citizenship in the Sustainability Social Movement. In these projects: sustainability is embraced as multivalent; sustainability practitioners are viewed as diverse active citizens; KSC are seen as a complex spectrum of possible capabilities; program co-design is collaborative, adaptive, and iterative; and learning outcomes are open and emergent.
