Advertisement

International Review of Education

, Volume 63, Issue 6, pp 829–846 | Cite as

Social learning as a key factor in sustainability transitions: The case of Okayama City

  • Robert J. Didham
  • Paul Ofei-Manu
  • Masaaki Nagareo
Original Paper
First Online:

Abstract

The Okayama Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Project is an ongoing initiative in Okayama City, Japan, established in 2005 by the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Okayama and the Okayama Municipal Government with the aim “to create a community where people learn, think and act together towards realising a sustainable society”. With a diverse participant base of over 240 organisations – including community learning centres (kominkans), schools, universities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – this initiative has administered numerous programmes. It has engaged a large and diverse group of citizens from Okayama City in exploring sustainability issues through collective discussion, envisioning and practice with the aim of living more sustainable lives. The decade-long experience of the Okayama ESD Project has gained international attention, and the “Okayama Model” is considered an inspiring example of community-based ESD due to the positive changes it has supported. In this article, the Okayama ESD Project is presented as a case study on effective social learning for sustainability. In particular, the practical efforts made are examined to provide insights into how various elements of a social learning process were strengthened and linked to create active learning cycles among community members. In addition, the conditions for creating an effective learning community are investigated, while the practical actions taken are examined in relation to creating an effective social learning process. Finally, this article presents the important role which social learning has played in Okayama City’s transition to sustainability and identifies the key efforts made to address and link each of these elements of social learning into a dynamic cycle.

Keywords

social learning community of practice sustainable lifestyles social change 

Résumé

L’apprentissage social, facteur clé dans les transitions vers la pérennité : le cas d’Okayama – Le projet d’éducation en vue du développement durable (EDD) d’Okayama est une initiative en cours dans cette ville japonaise, lancée en 2005 par le centre régional d’expertise (CRE) et le gouvernement municipal. Le but consistait à « créer une communauté dont les membres apprennent, réfléchissent et agissent ensemble en vue d’édifier une société durable » . S’appuyant sur une base participante variée de plus de 240 organismes – centres communautaires d’apprentissage (kominkans), écoles, universités et organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) – cette initiative gère un grand nombre de programmes. Elle encourage un groupe important et diversifié de citoyens à explorer les questions de pérennité à travers discussions, projections et pratiques collectives dans l’objectif de mener une vie plus pérenne. L’expérience décennale du projet EDD d’Okayama suscite l’intérêt international, et le « modèle Okayama » sert, en raison des changements positifs qu’il a favorisés, d’exemple inspirant d’EDD au niveau communautaire. Les auteurs de l’article présentent ce projet sous forme d’étude de cas sur l’apprentissage social efficace en vue de la pérennité. Ils examinent en particulier les aspects pratiques pour explorer la manière dont les divers éléments du processus d’apprentissage social ont été renforcés et reliés pour créer des cycles d’apprentissage actif parmi les membres de la communauté. Ils examinent en outre les conditions nécessaires pour créer une communauté apprenante efficace, ainsi que les actions pratiques menées dans l’optique d’instaurer un processus d’apprentissage social efficace. Enfin, l’article présente le rôle important que joue l’apprentissage social dans la transition de la ville d’Okayama vers la pérennité, et recense les efforts décisifs déployés pour traiter et relier à un cycle dynamique chacun de ces éléments de l’apprentissage social.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Bibliography

  1. Didham, R. J., & Ofei-Manu, P. (2015). Social learning for sustainability: Advancing community-based inquiry and collaborative learning for sustainable lifestyles. In V. W. Thoresen, R. J. Didham, J. Klein, & D. Doyle (Eds.), Responsible living; Concepts, education and future perspectives (pp. 233–252). Heidelberg: Springer.Google Scholar
  2. Fadeeva, Z. (2009). From centre of excellence to centre of expertise: Regional centres of expertise on education for sustainable development. In A. E. J. Wals (Ed.), Social Learning: Towards a sustainable world (pp. 245–264). Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers.Google Scholar
  3. Flyvbjerg, B. (2001). Making social science matter: Why social inquiry fails and how it can succeed again. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Flyvbjerg, B. (2009). What is phronetic planning research? What is phronetic social science? [Aalborg university webpage]. Retrieved 7 September 2017 from http://flyvbjerg.plan.aau.dk/whatisphronetic.php.
  5. Flyvbjerg, B. (2011). Making social science matter. In G. Papanagnou (Ed.), Social Science and Policy Challenges: Democracy, values and capacities (pp. 25–56). Research & Policy series. Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved 9 August 2017 from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002117/211705e.pdf.
  6. Garmendia, E., & Stagl, S. (2010). Public participation for sustainability and social learning: Concepts and lessons from three case studies in Europe. Ecological Economics, 69(8), 1712–1722.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Holden, M. (2008). Social learning in planning: Seattle’s sustainable development codebooks. Progress in Planning, 69(1), 1–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Holden, M., Esfahani, A. H., & Scerri, A. (2014). Facilitated and emergent social learning in sustainable urban redevelopment: Exposing a mismatch and moving towards convergence. Urban Research & Practice, 7(1), 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Hung, D. W. L., & Chen, D.-T. (2001). Situated cognition, Vygotskian thought and learning from the communities of practice perspective: Implications for the design of web-based e-learning. Education Media International, 38(1), 3–12. Retrieved 9 August 2017 from https://portal.utoronto.ca/bbcswebdav/users/brettcla/Course%20readings/SitCogWebDesign.pdf.
  10. Keen, M., Brown, V. A., & Dyball, R. (2005). Social learning: A new approach to environmental management. In M. Keen, V. A. Brown, & R. Dyball (Eds.), Social learning in environmental management: Towards a sustainable future (pp. 3–21). Abingdon: Earthscan.Google Scholar
  11. Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
  12. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Mochizuki, Y. (2006). Initial lessons learnt from the UNU Initiative “Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE)” (UNU-IAS working paper No. 150). Yokohama: United Nations University, Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU IAS).Google Scholar
  14. Noguchi, F., Guevara, J. R., & Yorozu, R. (2015). Communities in action: Lifelong learning for sustainable development. Hamburg: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL). Retrieved 9 August 2017 from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002341/234185e.pdf.
  15. Okayama ESD Promotion Commission (2014). Okayama ESD project: Learning together and pass on our precious earth to the next generation. Okayama: Okayama ESD Promotion Commission. Retrieved 15 September 2017 from http://www.okayama-tbox.jp/esd/pages/4989. Okayama ESD Promotion Commission. (2014). Okayama ESD project: Learning together and pass on our precious earth to the next generation. Okayama. Retrieved 15 September 2017 from http://www.okayama-tbox.jp/esd/pages/4989.
  16. Okayama ESD Promotion Commission (2015). Okayama ESD Project 2015–2019: Develop sustainable societies through community learning and collaboration. Okayama: Okayama ESD Promotion Commission. Retrieved 15 September 2017 from http://www.okayama-tbox.jp/esd/pages/4989.
  17. Pahl-Wostl, C., & Hare, M. (2004). Process of social learning in integrated resources management. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 14(3), 193–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Pahl-Wostl, C., Sendzimir, J., Jeffrey, P., Aerts, J., & Berkamp, G. (2007). Managing change toward adaptive water management through social learning. Ecology and Society, 12(2), 1–18.Google Scholar
  19. Reed, M.S., Evely, A.C., Cundill, G., Fazey, I., Glass, J., Laing, A., Newig, J., Parrish, B., Prell C., Raymond, C. & Stringer, L.C. (2010). What is social learning? Ecology and Society, 15(4), r1. Retrieved 9 August 2017 from http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss4/resp1/.
  20. Rodela, R., Cundill, G., & Wals, A. E. J. (2012). An analysis of the methodological underpinnings of social learning research in natural resource management. Ecological Economics, 77(C), 16–26.Google Scholar
  21. Scholz, R. W., Lang, D. J., Wiek, A., Walter, A., & Stauffacher, M. (2006). Transdisciplinary case studies as a means of sustainability learning. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 7(3), 226–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Tilbury, D. (2009). Learning based change for sustainability: Perspectives and pathways. In A. E. J. Wals (Ed.), Social learning: Towards a sustainable world (pp. 117–131). Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers.Google Scholar
  23. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) (2014a). Shaping the future we want: UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014). Final report. Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved 7 September 2017 from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1682Shaping%20the%20future%20we%20want.pdf.
  24. UNESCO (2014b). Aichi-Nagoya Declaration on education for sustainable development. Paris: UNEESCO. Retrieved 7 September 2017 from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002310/231074e.pdf.
  25. UNU (United Nations University) (2017). RCE-worldwide [webpage]. Toyko: United Nations University, Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability. Retrieved 7 September 2017 from https://www.rcenetwork.org/portal/rces-worldwide.
  26. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Systems thinker (Vol. 9). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
  27. Westley, F., Olsson, P., Folke, C., Homer-Dixon, T., Vredenburg, H., Loorbach, D., et al. (2011). Tipping toward sustainability: Emerging pathways of transformation. Ambio, 40(7), 762–780.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Wildemeersch, D. (1995). Een verantwoorde uitweg leren [Learning a responsible way out] (Inaugural Lecture). Nijmegen: Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen.Google Scholar
  29. Wildemeersch, D. (2009). Social learning revisited: Lessons learned from North and South. In A. E. J. Wals (Ed.), Social learning: Towards a sustainable world (pp. 99–116). Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. and UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Robert J. Didham
    • 1
  • Paul Ofei-Manu
    • 2
  • Masaaki Nagareo
    • 3
  1. 1.Center for Collaborative Learning for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Education and Natural Sciences (Campus Hamar)Inland Norway University of Applied SciencesHamarNorway
  2. 2.Institute for Global Environment Strategies (IGES)HayamaJapan
  3. 3.RCE Okayama/Municipality of Okayama CityOkayamaJapan

Personalised recommendations

Cite article

Buy options