permaculture

[Scott Pittman <swrpi@igc.apc.org>]

At 19:14 3/1/98 +1200, Fiona Campbell + Russ Grayson wrote:
>David de Vries wrote:
>> 
>> Nine week Permaculture Internship based at the Permaculture Research
>> Institute, Tyalgum, Tweed Valley, Australia.
>> 
>> To quote Skye:
>> " The minimum of 72 hours for the Design Certificate Course is obviously
barely sufficient to scratch the surface of what is possible. Many
participants leave these courses with a sense of being overwhelmed, and have
difficulty deciding where to start.<
>
>
>I can only agree with this. Perhaps the sense of being overwhelmed and
>confused explains why many PDC graduates simply fade form the
>permaculture scene.
>
I find it alarming that so few people seem to have considered the pedagogy
of the permaculture design certification course.  I think that the original
course outline and the presentation of the material to have been brilliant.
It worries me that so many graduates think that they have a better approach
and in the process lose the immediacy and fire of the original curriculae.
"If it isn't broke don't fix it!"

I think that the "overwhelm" is part of the learning process and that when
you hit that wall of not being able to control the radical nature of the new
infromation coming in, you "surrender" to the inevitability of having to
change your basic belief structure. In virtually every class that I have
taught either alone or with Bill there is a critical time, usually day four,
when there is a very distinct shift in consciousness among the students
where they stop the furious note taking in a futile attempt to capture data
and begin to acknowledge and recognize their own intuitive knowing, or
"common sense".  

I do agree that their should be follow up and that noone should attempt to
teach or design until they have some years of experience.  Originally the
two year practicum and then diploma application and issuance led to teaching
and design.

It seems that everyone is coming up with "new and improved" curricula which
I view with great suspicion - since the old has served us so well for so
many years.  I acknowledge that new data and technologies are necessary
upgrades to the information contained in the course.  

I have heard of courses that leave out pattern because it is "too difficult
to understand" - I rather think that the problem is that it is "so difficult
to teach".

Scott & Arina Pittman
Permaculture Institute
PO Box 3702
Pojoaque, NM 87501, USA