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  • From: "Paul and Sandra" <crows@tkc.att.ne.jp>
  • To: "Permaculture Listserve" <permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Design Education in Public Schools
  • Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 11:56:46 +0900

As far as I can tell the purpose of permaculture is to actualize good design.

"Good teachers have nothing to give but enthusiasm to learn; they cannot with the best will in the world give their students knowlege. Thus it is with design proper rather then design technique which I am concerned with here." - B.Mollison - Perm.2

I am interested in good design, that’s why I investigated and practiced permaculture methods. I have also investigated and practiced anything else I can find that leads to good design. Whether or not the result of this alchemy is ‘permaculture’ is not something I feel comfortable to declare. I don’t like copyrights and the alternative seems to be a careful accounting of who we learn our ideas from, like song lineage or totemic ancestry. When I say ‘permaculture’ I am just borrowing the word and I use it to refer to the core of books which were first advanced as a definition of the concept. Bill Mollison and David Holmgrem have been quite good about recognizing their ancestry in Yeomans, Fukuoka, Odum, Misc. Rodale books and the hundreds (nay millions) of others, both published and nameless that tested the concepts of permaculture for the past several millenia.

Permaculture may speciate and grow to encompass the entire planet and then it will loose its name and our children’s children will still bitch about the dominant culture. Why not let permaculture remain as it was conceived - an eloquent challange to us all to build a sound local culture that grows more than it destroys. There it should remain, a constant reminder. Let each of us develop with the greatest passion a local culture that is worthy of our fragment of the earth. It will inevitably grow beyond our current personal definitions, or the letter of the permaculture holy books.

As I’ve mentioned before, I want to ‘teach’ children in public schools who are often deprived of design experience about good design. I would appreciate comment on the following taxonomy. It is a rough draft of a set of standards to drive a curriculum design process. I agree that there are many unhealthy patterns in modern educational process. however I’d like to narrow the debate for the purpose of clarifying those skills and habits that lead to good design. This seems in partial alignment with Frank’s queries and comments.

I want to discourage people from taking this opportunity to broadly question the value modern education - the choir agrees. I would encourage comments on how schools you are familiar with could be successfully redesigned to have a more positive function.

so here it goes...

-------------------

GOOD DESIGN COMES FROM:

MODELING - patterned knowlege

having background knowlege of the physical sciences as a context for design: biogeography, biology, geology, geomorphology, plant physiology, ecology, physics

analysis of models and assemblages that have worked or failed to work in comparable situations (from first peoples to your neighbor)

design algorythms (permaculture is great for this.)

clear methods for evaluating the qualities of a place in terms of energies, forces, elements, zones, sectors, materials, structures and movement (PC is good, Odum, Ian McHarg, Yeomans, Sun Tzu, Pliny the Elder, Pattern Language, etc)

having an ethical value systems (pc has a concentrated formula that can be adapted not adopted)

a broad palette of explored and defined design elements (input/output/attributes and common patterns, Alexander et al.))

TIME ON-SITE - in place

spending time with a place sensitive to inspiration (ie soft focus)

spending time with a place applying a variety of taxonomies making maps and records

spending time during different seasons and during different climate events observing patterns

critical observation of the effects of past design decisions

GROUP PROCESS - social design

working within the existing cultural context of the place

talking with other designers about design problems

building networks of rapport among the human residents though situationally appropriate group processes

the ability to take diverse roles within a group to engender problem solving

nurturing skilled resident designers

TACTILE INSTINCT - experience

intimate knowlege and understanding of a wide variety of design elements and their natures

using a variety of tools until they become an extension of your consciousness

applying designs with your own labor with a variety of materials and tools

exposing yourself to the implications of climate cycles and patterns

PSYCHIC SKILLS - Tools for caring

introspecting (you pick your process) about personal assumptions and mental/emotional habits

access to a variety of mental states for the purpose of shifting perspective in problem solving

an empathetic sense of what a healthy system feels like

an attention span for the design process

an empathy for the nature and potential of another living thing (expanded concept of self)

a positive approach toward making happenings into learning experiences

ability to separate the ego from the design

-----------------------

Implementation and teacher training is another huge topic. I would love to start with some concise criticism, expansion or contraction of the above list. The organic wholeness will have to grow in place. At this point I am developing a intellectual framework that is approachable by current educational practice.

To those who cringe at this rationalist approach to design (myself included), just because the map is not the territory doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make maps. I am not trying to define permaculture here. I am trying to get schools to support design education.

In many states of the U.S. enviromental education is mandated. No one knows what EE is?! Every special issues group is bum-rushing the school boards with EE curriculum of canned and sterilized, "oh gee look at all the things we can get from a forest" workbooks. Or on the other side of the fence horror stories for 9 year olds about destruction they cannot witness. I would like to see EE be about system analysis and design. Starting with the school facilities, and extending into the neighborhood. Much of modern EE does not lead to action.

Have at it.

Paul Cereghino - crows@tkc.att.ne.jp - Tokyo




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