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  • From: steve read <permaculturefr@free.fr>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Designing a Movement
  • Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:53:43 +0200

On 15/08/2010 08:12, Andrew McSwain wrote:
Are pedogical methods
and theories, teaching techniques, included in the course to become a
certified permaculture instructor?
With the Diploma system here in France and Belgium, as we are giving the 'right' to someone to teach a PdC when the receive the Diploma they are required during the presentation of their work to show how they would teach a PDC . We also have regular teacher training sessions .

Our global PmC movement would seem at the moment to be working in a two pronged way , Designers designing/installing and teachers teaching others how to design. Personally I no longer do designs for others as I have found it more efficient to teach a 'customer' how to design themselves and then guide them to unfold the design from them. This does mean I earn less money but then I'm not in this for the money.

In terms of the two prongs the following are some things I have noticed and which concern me.

* Designers who seem to have a standardised design in their head and
which they seek to squeeze onto each site they work with.
* the overuse of 'fashionable' techniques and strategies where
others would have been imo more adapted to place and people.
* A lack of willingness to work with other professionals, engineers
and suchlike.


* Teaching courses that leave out chunks of the syllabus, for
example courses in cool-temperate areas which don't cover the
material on other climate areas or all the stuff around invisible
structures etc is left out. This is a particular concern as the
next generation of teachers hasn't been exposed to this material
and hence don't cover it either .
* Where all the syllabus is covered the pre-dominance of gardening
and growing over things like buildings, roads, dams etc.
* Pedagogies that are predicated around discredited ideas. For
example left/right brain hemispheres.
* That a teachers personal favourite techniques are expounded to the
detriment of others. Food forests, straw bale building and swales
are current examples of this.
* Projects that present themselves as permacultures and host courses
but which aren't and when subsequently revisited show no evolution.
* Courses that are too expensive for local peoples which then have a
tendancy to be only open to the middle classes.
* PmC teachers who seek to earn their living teaching courses, I
have a tendancy to see teaching work as something that comes out
of the 'give away surpluses' part of our ethics. That if I'm good
enough as a designer my project/life will be generating sufficient
surplus that I don't need to charge a lot for courses, if it
isn't then maybe I shouldn't be teaching.


These concerns inform how we are trying to evolve our systems here in the Euro francophone areas. For example we are working to put into place a PDC system that is modular and students spend 2 or 3 days working on projects with project leaders/teachers who have particular areas of expertise whilst also being well versed in PmC generally. This system would lie alongside the current one of 72 hour intensive courses. We have also the Compagnon apprenticeship scheme where post pdc students travel around the world working on projects with experienced teachers to gain a wide range of experience, knowledge and ability.

'Teaching in teams' seems also to be the way we are moving forward, currently in Belgium the PDC is being lead by a mix of the French and Belgium teaching teams, whilst individually they don't have my 20 years of experience designing and teaching , the sum is greater than the whole. Different modules are being taught by permacuteurs whose main jobs are for example eco-construction and pisciculture.

This is especially interesting for me as it means that local people, speaking the local language, versed in the local climate and culture, charging the local rate for courses can start running pdc's in teams much sooner. Of course the teaching teams have with them someone who has the PmC Diploma and experience in designing and teaching to help and guide.

The Université populaire de permaculture has as a vision courses that are 'prix libre' people pay or not what they can. This is the tradition of the 'Popular Universities' here in France , which was almost destroyed by de Gaulle. in the short term we are seeking EU funding, in the longer term our activities will be from funds generated from the exchange of surpluses and also surpluses generated from an infrastructure of land and buildings, designed, installed and maintained by the UPP apprentices. This copies the model of the Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy.

Another 'prong' of our approach is being developed through Brin de Paille, the foremost PmC networking association in France. The assoc aims to present Pmc to the general public as a tool for socio-ecological change and to weave together all those, individuals and associations active in this area into a major force who could push along designed change at a local , predominantly, and national level.

I have taken the time to write all that as it seems that many in the anglophone world are unaware that PmC is well installed in many other countries/language areas and that these countries are evolving systems and approaches that may inspire.

Steve Read




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