Mirroring, Gestaltswitching and Transformative Social Learning: stepping stones for developing sustainability competence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify components and educational design principles for strengthening sustainability competence in and through higher education.Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper that uses an exemplary autobiographical empirical case study in order to illustrate and support a line of reasoning.Findings – A number of “Gestalts” of mind‐sets of sustainability competence and key elements of the learning processes needed for developing such competence have been identified.Originality/value – This is one of the first papers to consider sustainability competence from a transformative social learning perspective. The value of the paper lies in its potential to help teachers of university courses in re‐designing their educational processes with sustainability competence in mind.

[1]  M. Wertheimer.  Max Wertheimer and Gestalt Theory , 2004 .

[2]  A. Wals,et al.  'Your View of Nature is Not Mine!': Learning about pluralism in the classroom , 2002 .

[3]  Marco Rieckmann,et al.  Developing Key Competencies for Sustainable Development in Higher Education , 2007 .

[4]  D. Orr.  Walking North on a Southbound Train * , 2003 .

[5]  Ira Shor.  Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social Change , 1992 .

[6]  B. Bigelow,et al.  Rethinking globalization : teaching for justice in an unjust world , 2002 .

[7]  Maik Adomßent,et al.  Education for Sustainable Development Strategies in German Universities. , 2007 .

[8]  Dan Smith.  The State of the World Atlas , 1981 .

[9]  A. Wals,et al.  Learning on the edge: exploring the change potential of conflict in social learning for sustainable living , 2004 .

[10]  E. O’Sullivan,et al.  Bringing a perspective of transformative learning to globalized consumption , 2003 .

[11]  William Scott,et al.  Higher Education and Sustainable Development: Paradox and Possibility , 2008 .

[12]  Anthony Giddens,et al.  The Giddens Reader , 1993 .

[13]  Glenda H. Eoyang,et al.  Facilitating Organization Change: Lessons from Complexity Science , 2001 .

[14]  G. Haan,et al.  The BLK "21" Programme In Germany: A "Gestaltungskompetenz"-Based Model For Education For Sustainable Development. , 2006 .

[15]  Robert Fulghum,et al.  All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten : uncommon thoughts on common things , 1989 .

[16]  Peter Blaze Corcoran,et al.  Higher education and the challenge of sustainability : problematics, promise, and practice , 2004 .

[17]  A. Wals,et al.  Integrating Sustainability into Higher Agricultural Education: Dealing with Complexity, Uncertainty and Diverging Worldviews. , 2005 .

[18]  John Blewitt,et al.  Third wave sustainability in higher education:some (inter)national trends and developments , 2010 .

[19]  A. Wals,et al.  Globalization and environmental education: looking beyond sustainable development , 2008, Curriculum and Environmental Education.

[20]  B. Doppelt.  The Power of Sustainable Thinking: How to Create a Positive Future for the Climate, the Planet, Your Organization and Your Life , 2008 .

[21]  J. Rodin.  The University & Urban Revival: Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets , 2007 .

[22]  A. Wals,et al.  Student Attitudes Towards and Skills for Sustainable Development , 2014 .

[23]  Fumiyo Kagawa,et al.  Education and climate change : living and learning in interesting times , 2009 .