Bewust handelen door bewust denken, Reflectietools in het leerproces. We moeten reflecteren op ons handelen om er van te kunnen leren. We moeten weten waarom we handelen, ons bewust worden van onze vooronderstellingen, van de gebruikte methode en van de gevolgen van ons handelen. Zonder reflectie is er geen bewust handelen, geen leermoment en geen innovatie mogelijk. Reflectie is een vorm van denken: reflectie is denken over denken, het is na-denken, het is bewust denken. Reflectie is het herinterpreteren van onze ervaring en kennis. We gebruiken reflectie in vormen van ervaringsleren waar ervaringen in de praktijk gekoppeld worden aan de theorie, zoals projectwerk en stages. Het reflectieproces heeft de vorm van een cirkel: we beschrijven ons handelen, evalueren dit, bedenken alternatieven en brengen deze weer in de praktijk. In dit reflectieproces nemen we afstand van ons handelen in tijd en ruimte: we bekijken ons eigen handelen alsof het door iemand anders gedaan wordt. Zo kunnen wij objectief naar ons eigen handelen kijken. Om echte alternatieven voor ons handelen te bedenken en niet terug te vallen in wat we gewend zijn te doen, moeten we onze creativiteit de ruimte geven. Paradoxaal genoeg kan dit het beste door ons denkproces te sturen door middel van reflectieoefeningen. Puntreflectie, reflectie via brainstorm, reflectie met metaforen, lijnreflectie en niveaureflectie zijn vormen van reflectie die door de kenniskring gebruikt worden als reflectietool. De scenariomethode is ook een oefening die ons denken over de toekomst openbreekt, juist door het proces strak te sturen. In een Socratisch gesprek onderzoeken we gezamenlijk onze vooronderstellingen. We kunnen ook reflecteren tijdens ons handelen, door ons tegelijkertijd bewust te zijn van ons handelen en hierover na te denken: dit vergt wel een behoorlijke concentratie. Ook willen we graag dat onze reflectie doorlopend is, zodat de reflectiecirkel in een reflectiespiraal veranderd. Reflecteren is niet alleen een mentale bezigheid, maar is tevens een resonantie tussen het denken, de emotie en de wilskracht, tussen hoofd, hart en buik. We gebruiken reflectietools in het onderwijs om de student te leren reflecteren over zijn leerproces, de gebruikte methode en de maatschappelijke consequenties van zijn handelen. We willen het reflectieproces bij onze studenten provoceren en aanmoedigen: dit doen we door gestuurde reflectie op vragen die uit de praktijk voortvloeien. Door bewuster na te denken, leren de studenten bewuster te handelen. Onze taak is professionals op te leiden die door reflectie bewust bekwaam zijn in hun handelen.
The methodology of biomimicry design thinking is based on and builds upon the overarching patterns that all life abides by. “Cultivating cooperative relationships” within an ecosystem is one such pattern we as humans can learn from to nurture our own mutualistic and symbiotic relationships. While form and process translations from biology to design have proven accessible by students learning biomimicry, the realm of translating biological functions in a systematic approach has proven to be more difficult. This study examines how higher education students can approach the gap that many companies in transition are struggling with today; that of thinking within the closed loops of their own ecosystem, to do good without damaging the system itself. Design students should be able to assess and advise on product design choices within such systems after graduation. We know when tackling a design challenge, teams have difficulties sifting through the mass of information they encounter, and many obstacles are encountered by students and their professional clients when trying to implement systems thinking into their design process. While biomimicry offers guidelines and methodology, there is insufficient research on complex, systems-level problem solving that systems thinking biomimicry requires. This study looks at factors found in course exercises, through student surveys and interviews that helped (novice) professionals initiate systems thinking methods as part of their strategy. The steps found in this research show characteristics from student responses and matching educational steps which enabled them to develop their own approach to challenges in a systems thinking manner. Experiences from the 2022 cohort of the semester “Design with Nature” within the Industrial Design Engineering program at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands have shown that the mixing and matching of connected biological design strategies to understand integrating functions and relationships within a human system is a promising first step. Stevens LL, Whitehead C, Singhal A. Cultivating Cooperative Relationships: Identifying Learning Gaps When Teaching Students Systems Thinking Biomimicry. Biomimetics. 2022; 7(4):184. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040184
In the emerging sustainable Human Resource Management (HRM) literature, advocating to ‘rehumanize’ and pluralize HRM, dialogue is put forward as a silver bullet to cope with paradoxical tensions and pluralist workforces. This conceptual paper aims to add to the sustainable HRM literature by examining the position and application of dialogue within sustainable HRM, using ideas and concepts from dialogue literature and complexity thinking. We applied core concepts of complexity thinking (i.e., self-organization, nonlinearity, attractors, and emergence) to deepen our understanding of the positioning of dialogue, the position of power, and the emergence of intended and unintended outcomes. Moreover, through the distinction between intentional and continuous dialogue, the intentional, dynamic, and emergent nature of dialogue was explored. Connecting, sensing, grasping, and influencing the local patterning of continuous dialogue is important for positioning dialogue within sustainable HRM, and intentional dialogical practices can support this. More specifically, based on our literature review, we present a conceptual model that furthers our understanding of (1) conceptualizations of dialogue as both intended and continuous; (2) the role of power in dialogue; (3) how stability and novelty emerge from dialogue. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the developed perspectives on dialogue for future research as well as management practices.
The project Decolonising Education: from Teachers to Leading Learners (DETeLL) aims to develop a multi-site approach for interventions towards inclusion and decolonisation in order to change the hierarchical nature of higher education in the Netherlands. DETeLL identifies the model of the ‘traditional teacher’ as embodying the structural exclusions and discriminations built into the classroom and proposes the figure of a ‘Leading Learner’ as a first step towards a radical change in the educational system. In collaboration with the education departments in the Theatre and Dance Academy at ArtEZ, the post-doc will build up a research and teaching programme that engages with students and teachers in the faculty to create a prototype of an inclusive and diverse educational practice. RELEVANCE: Education should be the critical space in which changes occur in order to shape best possible futures. In DETeLL’s acceptation, decolonisation refers to a complete change in the way of thinking and behaving. It does not refer only to the urgency of dealing with historical colonial legacies embedded in society, but also to the subversion of the deeply oppressive colonial culture that (also unconsciously) regulates public and private living, whether this is related to gender, race, class or sexuality issues. RESULTS: 1) Create a theory and practice-based scientific base-line of decolonisation and art education; 2) Provide a definition of ‘Artist educator as Leading Learner’ following a practice- based methodology of intervention; 3) Design and Pilot a new teaching programme for theatre education at ArtEZ to be then upscaled to all educational departments in a follow-up project); 4) Produce a strong interdisciplinary and international output plan: 3 academic publications, 2 conferences, 4 expert group workshops. NETWORK: ArtEZ; University of Amsterdam (UvA); Ghent University; UCHRI; Hildesheim University; Cape Town University. The partners will serve as steering committee through planned expert group meetings.
Within the framework of the “Greening Games” project, we will develop, test and distribute flagship didactic materials addressing the interdisciplinary nature of green digital gaming. These will be tested in selected higher education programs and finally shared as open access content for the broader academic and teaching community. It is our core strategic responsibility to educate students about the relations between digital games and environment. We believe that the more aware students of today will become greener game designers, programmers, and academic leaders of tomorrow. At the centre of our partnership’s didactic philosophy are human responsibility, ethical game design and sustainable gaming culture. Societal IssueVideo games serve as technological marvels and cultural reflections. McKenzie Wark suggests they are integral to a shared culture, fostering critical thinking. Games act as arenas for cultural values and environmental awareness. Climate-aware video games, often referred to as 'green games' or 'eco-games,' raise ecological consciousness and reconnect players with nature. For example, Riders Republic, which replicates real-world terrain using satellite imagery, inspires eco-awareness. However, the environmental footprint of video games, reliant on digital electronics and resource-intensive consoles, poses challenges. Developers, manufacturers, and gaming giants must address these impacts. Benjamin Abraham emphasizes sustainable game development as a holistic solution beyond incorporating green content.Benefit to societyBy developing teaching materials on green gaming for higher education, we create the following impact. We will…- increase the awareness of this subject among Bachelor’s and Master’s students.- enhance students’ knowledge of green gaming and their ability to integrate existing solutions into their game projects.- stimulate more research interest among research staff as well as students.- facilitate the uptake of pedagogical resources on green gaming by lecturers and professors.- create a European research community around the topic.- raise the visibility of green game studies among the game industry and wider public.
