Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design 2004

1. Being a sustainable learner survey analyse design implement review Using the design cycle to improve LSG work by teaching about Zone 00 2003 2002 As part of the review of the course, I ask the group to consider ‘ sustainability’ in terms of their own learning … this appears to be a difficult task… also Learning Journal work seems to be done patchily. Do they see the point of the questions, of the Learning Support Group , of the Learning Journal ? How can we make it a perennial system? They are fascinated by Zone 00… Aha! Create & try out a session which a) uses the LSG to help each one reflect on how they have learned, and to apply principles to it b) replicate the question applying it to LSG as an example of PeopleCare ethic c) answer the Q “How have I been a sustainable learner?” Result! A lot of connections being made, & using Graham’s Zone 00 Brain really showed it’s about … Me! But a question for next year… At what point in the course to include it?

2. Thanks to Graham Burnett for this image, which I used extensively when teaching about Zone 00, like this...

3. Being a sustainable learner Aim: to identify how ethics and principles are embedded into learning; how to use this to design a sustainable learning practice. Lesson plan - 2 hours, middle-ish in the course when people know each other, partly revision of concepts, start to build up to reflection on course experience. 1. Random pairs - 5 minutes of Trust Walk activity + debrief re what it felt like, then swap & go again… debrief whole group - link to people care ethic, draw out principles 2. In home groups - consider individually how do you look after yourself? how do you look after your home group? how do you look after the whole group? 3. Now Zone it… 1-5 (where is 5!) Take a break, get some tea… 4. Theory re Zone 00, using GB’s brain… what is Maslow, use JoHari window, needs, goals, barriers, etc. Refresh re learning styles, add in Gardner’s 7 intelligences… encourage use of Learning Journal. See how it’s all connected, as in a brain… 5. Map a section to principles.. Which do you shy away from? Take it & use it to redesign the way you approach the next task, and also linkwork... 6. In home groups, get Unit (x) finished… what evidence, share, suggest, show, tell, what witnessing needed, etc. Your imagination is the only limitation…. 7. Reflect on this in your LJ - write/draw/poem/doodle/invent! a way of recording your thoughts...

4. Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences Linguistic : communicate, read, write Logical/mathematical : reason, think, calculate Kinaesthetic : bodily, creativity, use body to solve problems & present ideas & emotions to others - act/roleplay Visual/spatial : “see” a result, mental images, use space effectively, direction Musical : understand patterns, form & rhythm, Interpersonal : social skills, work effectively with others Intrapersonal : self analysis, reflection

5. Becoming a sustainable learner Know your learning styles Be able to choose which to use, when Challenge yourself to use a different one! Recognise other people’s and respond to it See how a learning support group displays Permaculture theory eg. what has your group done to focus in on People Care? What ethics &principles have been engaged? Use the design cycle to observe and analyse your best learning Design Pc learning Into your life permanently! S A D I

6. how does a Learning Support Group display permaculture theory? What principles have been engaged? Function & scale - small scale size - 3-5 meets the needs of of the group & the learning Multi-function Support for an individual Builds a group from small elements but lots of them “ intensive cropping” - time to speak & listen because of size Fairshare People care Working with nature -people ‘best’ in groups - human nature, contact natural communication flow - listen & react Perennial systems - long term development of supportive relationships Diversity -’guild’ Beneficial relationships integration of views & relationships Polyculture - many experiences Zone & sector zone 0 = ‘home’ group uses things from other zones zone 00 = personal reflection is the yield stacks and layers!

7. Essential criteria: theory in action : The solution being within the problem is a major lesson I’ve learned from doing all of this.. Resources being within myself and a ‘teasing out’ of them, rather than trying to impose new ideas. My thirty-year teaching career has finally borne fruit for itself… I now find myself either using permaculture theory all the time, or finding that I can identify permaculture theory & practice in what I do... design practice : I use SADI mainly, because for me it’s also the learning cycle theory I really like, in action… however I have found that often it stills “begs the question”, that is …. What is the problem? A tool from ‘outside’ that I find useful is Force Field Analysis, which allows the survey - analyse part of the design cycle of reflection/action to be whizzed around at speed.. an example of it is in the presentation about my own experiences in the ALG with Pippa and Don. Complimentary criteria: Dissemination: the subject and the design itself is about dissemination of theory. It’s also part of a “teacher’s repertoire” training we have in mind to run. Symmetry : I would like to write it up for publication within the Diploma WorkNet, but it will also appear on the course pages of the BPT website, once that’s properly done.. Community building : again, the subject and the design itself is part of the development and review of vision support/learning support through Action Learning Guilds not only on the design course, but as a precursor for people wishing to to the Diploma. Evaluation/costings: time is the only cost, to develop something for the BSC course, to my satisfaction. earth fairshare people