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Latest
update: June 7, 2011
Fourth Advanced
International Colloquium on
Building
the Scientific Mind (BtSM2011)
- Stellenbosch,
South Africa,
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- A dialogue
among the disciplines organized by the
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- Learning Development
Institute, 7-11 March 2011
-
- in collaboration
with
- Sustainability
Institute, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- as well
as in association with
- Fundación
Cultura de Paz
- Universe Awareness
(UNAWE)
- United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
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-
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- BtSM2011
has been successfully completed, thanks to the intellectual contributions
of all of those who participated.
- Preparations
for BtSM2013 have started. The BtSM2013 colloquium will be held
in Bandung, Indonesia, on dates still to be determined, probably
in May 2013.
- Documentation
regarding the proceedings of BtSM2011 has now (April 18, 2011)
been added. More to come. Keep visiting the site.
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- About the colloquium
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- Participants in the Fourth Advanced
International Colloquium on Building the Scientific Mind (BtSM2011)
will gather in the environment depicted above. They will combine
discussing the issues pertinent to the theme of the colloquium,
Learning for Sustainable Futures, with walks through the
magnificent countryside, sharing meals together, enjoying organic
gardening, tasting the wine for which Stellenbosch is famous,
and socializing across the diversity of disciplines that will
be represented at the colloquium, including the natural sciences,
the social and human sciences, and the arts.
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- This fourth colloquium follows
in the footsteps of three prior Building the Scientific Mind
colloquia, all of them under the patronage and/or with the support
of UNESCO,
namely BtSM2009, held in Cairo,
Egypt, in May 2009; BtSM2007,
held in Vancouver, Canada, in May 2007; and BtSM2005,
held in The Hague, The Netherlands, in May 2005. This fourth
colloquium is deliberately being planned to take place in South
Africa so as to favor participation from sub-Sahara Africa, and
countries in the southern hemisphere in general, while continuing
the practice of the past colloquia to discuss issues regarding
the scientific mind in a global perspective. In other words,
participation from all parts of the world will be encouraged
and we hope to see many familiar faces from the past as well
as many new ones. Those new to BtSM may want to check the above
links to find out more about the past colloquia so as to have
an idea of what to expect in 2011.
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- The dates of the colloquium,
7 to 11 March 2011, are now firm, and so is our collaboration
with the Sustainability
Institute. Such collaboration could hardly have been
more appropriate, considering that we wish to discuss implications
for the building of the scientific mind in the perspective of
the lead theme for the colloquium, Learning for Sustainable
Futures.
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- In addressing issues related
to the colloquium theme, we wish, on the one hand, to stress
the mutually inclusive character of content, context,
and values-driven process in our search for sustainable
futures. On the other hand, we wish to assert the need to look
beyond content per se. From that latter perspective we
are thus less interested in the question of what should
be learned (such as fragmented pieces of knowledge that seem
to be missing from an already overloaded curriculum) than in
how we learn, i.e., what the values are that should drive
the learning process and that must thus inspire the learning
environment so that, eventually, humans will evolve, culturally,
to interact more harmoniously with their environment. We therefore
wish to explore what conditions must be present in the
environment for learning behavior to emerge that allows humans,
individually and collectively, to interact with their environment
in ways that lead to sustainable futures.
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- Registration
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- Contact: [email protected].
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- Back to menu
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- List of participants
- Click here
for a photographic overview of the list of participants.
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- Back to menu
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- Program elements (including
presented papers, slideshows, etc.)
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- The program for the five days
is an evolving matter. As this is a colloquium rather than a
conference, participants--in particular proposers--play a role
in what the program is going to look like. At the start of the
colloquium, there will be a set program, on paper, not carved
in stone. It may still change as the dialogue evolves.
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- To have an idea of the diversity
of the program, a number of elements can be found below. More
will be added.
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- Session type: Welcoming address.
- Title: Hope for a sustainable future: How one South
African university is helping to create a better world.
- Proposer: Magda Fourie (South Africa)
- Short description: Stellenbosch University launched its
Hope
Project in 2010. Through the various initiatives that form
the Hope Project the university wishes to contribute to a sustainable
future for South Africa and the African continent, not only in
terms of the physical world and environment, but also in terms
of human and social dimensions. The address will touch on the
rationale for the Hope Project and illustrate how the different
initiatives contribute to creating a more sustainable future.
- Paper: Text
of welcoming address.
- ---
- Session type: Opening keynote.
- Title: Africa’s Sustainability Challenges –
Is there an alternative to the traditional resource-intensive
industrialisation pathway to development?
- Proposer: Mark Swilling (South Africa)
- Pre-colloquium reference
paper: Africa
2050 – Growth, Resource Productivity and Decoupling.
- Slideshow: Africa
2050 - Growth, Resource Productivity and Decoupling.
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- Session type: Guided tour - followed by presentation.
- Title: The story of the Sustainability Institute
and Lynedoch.
- Proposer: Eve Annecke (South Africa)
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- Session type: Virtual presentation with questions/discussion.
- Title: Technological Progress and Sustainability:
A Look at the History and Future of Human Societies.
- Proposer: Benjamin Olshin (Taiwan)
- Short description: A key theme of the BtSM conference
this year, "Learning for Sustainable Futures", can
be approached from a history of technology perspective, and we
will use that to address two key questions:
- (a) The peculiar asymptotic
development of technology from the nineteenth-century to the
present — can it be continued? Should it be continued?
- (b) What other kinds of futures
for human society might there be — that is, futures other
than ones with more and more technological advances?
- Slideshow: Technological
Progress and Sustainability: A Look at the History and Future
of Human Societies.
- Backup version of video presentation: Technological
Progress and Sustainability: A Look at the History and Future
of Human Societies.
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- Session type: Presentation.
- Title: Building the Sientific Mind: A retrospective
overview.
- Proposer: Jan Visser (France)
- Short description: Building the Scientific Mind has been
a focus area for research and development of the Learning Development
Institute (LDI) since the inception of the Institute in 1999.
BtSM has become most prominently expressed in the biennial series
of colloquia held since 2005. This talk will briefly highlight
the history of BtSM, its driving motives, how these dialogues
are associated with the mission and vision of LDI, and what they
intend to achieve.
- Slideshow: Building
the Sientific Mind: A retrospective overview: Thoughts at the
start of the Fouth Advanced International Colloquoium on Building
the Scientific Mind.
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- Session type: Presentation.
- Title: Learning for Sustainable Futures. An heuristic
approach to cultural diversity and resilience.
- Proposer: Christine Merkel (Germany - UNESCO
Commission)
- Short description: Resilience – the key link between
biological diversity and cultural diversity? What role for learning?
The link between the “two diversities” will be explored,
with a special focus on the connection of diversity and resilience.
What role for mimetic and cultural learning, sub- and unconscious?
How to reinvent ourselves as biosphere relevant species? How
to explore the zone between “things we know” and “things
we don’t know”, the tacit, implicit and practical knowledge?
- Pre-colloquium resource paper: Integration
of culture in sustainable development.
- Abstract of presentation: Resilience
- the key link between biological diversity and cultural diversity?
What role for mimetic learning and cultural learning?
- Background document 1: Report
of UNESCO workshop on Links between biological and cultural diversity.
- Background document 2: Report
of the international conference on biological and cultural diversity
for development--Montreal, June, 2010.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation
- Proposer: Diana Stirling (USA)
- Title: Libraries for sustainability.
- Short description: A library can be a vital center of
community resource sharing, innovation, and access—promoting
llifelong learning in ways that sustain the individual, the community,
society, and the world. Please join this discussion of the current
role of libraries in our communities and the future we can fashion
for them.
- Slideshow: Libraries
for sustainability.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation.
- Proposer: Elizabeth Jordan (Canada)
- Title: Can we create a sustainable structural approach
to pedagogy?
- Short description: Using an open discussion format attendees
will be encouraged to peruse one of the challenges facing universities
as they plan for “sustainability by creating structural,
procedural approaches” that “create outstanding learning
experiences ‘efficiently’”. There are a number
of issues and questions: Can pedagogy be sustainable? Is sustainability
even possible when dealing with what in a business model is considered
a “Wicked” problem (Rittle & Webber, 1973). That
is, a socially based problem which constantly changes, etc.
- Pre-colloquium resource paper: Can
we create a sustainable structural approach to pedagogy?
- Slideshow: Can
we create a sustainable approach to pedagogy?
- ---
- Session type: Seminar followed by debate. The seminar
is the first of two activities belonging to a trail titled "Gaming
for sustainable futures", aimed at analizing from different
perspectives the role that gaming may have in learning for sustainable
futures. The activity will be complemented with a workshop designed
to explore the challenges involved in designing digital games
to address sustainability from a systems thinking approach.
- Proposer: Carlo Fabricatore (Italy/UK) + Ximena
Lopez (Chile/UK - collaborator)
- Title: Gaming for sustainable futures: leveraging
video gaming to develop sustainable mindsets through “learning
for complexity”
- Short description: The session will be aimed at analyzing
and discussing the relevance of digital games for the development
of a sustainable mindset. Research evidence, game-industry wisdom
and real-world examples will be analyzed and used to illustrate
how digital games can promote the development of complex systemic
thinking, which we believe to be crucial to build sustainable
futures. The presentation will be followed by a debate involving
the audience, in order to allow the convergence of different
backgrounds to further enrich and extend the scope of the analysis.
- Slideshow: Gaming
for sustainable futures.
- ---
- Session type: Game design workshop. The workshop
is one of the two activities belonging to a trail titled "Gaming
for sustainable futures", aimed at analizing from different
perspectives the influences of gaming on learning for sustainability.
- Proposer: Carlo Fabricatore (Italy/UK) + Ximena
Lopez (Chile/UK - collaborator)
- Title: Gaming for sustainable futures: designing
games that foster the development of sustainable mindsets.
- Short description: The workshop will be aimed at experiencing
the challenges of designing games that tackle “learning
for complexity” and systems thinking. In the beginning of
the workshop, experts in the fields of game design and educational
gaming will explain the basic principles to design games and
will analyze the main problems that are faced when designing
games to foster scientific thinking. Then, participants will
be organized in groups, and will be required to design a game
concept especially aimed at this purpose, supported by facilitators.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation combined with a challenge
for participants to develop methodologies for dealing with a
particular problem in groups followed by a dialogue on the various
approaches.
- Proposer: Bronwyn Lace + Marcus Neustetter +
Carolina Ödman + Kevin Govender (South Africa)
- Title: Sutherland reflections.
- Short description: The session will begin with a presentation
of Sutherland and SAAO, this will establish a context, we will
then ask participants to break into smaller groups and tackle
a specific problem in relation to the context. We will then briefly
present Sutherland Reflections as a case study. The intention
is for the session to end in an open dialogue in which participants
can add to and critique the project as it stands thus far.
- Slideshow: Sutherland
reflections.
- Workshop: Ideas
proposed by participants.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation.
- Proposer: Luiza Alonso (Brazil)
- Title: Changing minds; changing lives: Social and
economic development of grassroots communities around national
archeological parks in Brazil.
- Short description: Over the past 20 years, educational
and socio-economic programs have been developed by the Serra
da Capivara national park in Brazil, aiming at combating poverty
among the inhabitants of communities around the park and improving
the sustainability of both these communities and the natural
and archeological heritage in the area. Evaluation has shown
that such projects failed to reach their goal. It thus became
necessary to change the underlying theoretical framework and
methodological practices. With a view to generating critical
debate, suggestions will be put forward regarding innovative
educational initiatives for the sustainable development of the
communities and the preservation of the archeological heritage.
One expects to discuss that experience at the Colloquium on BtSM2011
as well to consider new insights for the sustainable development
of the communities and the national park conservation.
- Slideshow: Changing
minds; changing lives.
- ---
- Session type: `Fishbowl` where the lead presenter
begins with the propositions, a few others are invited to be
in the ‘fishbowl’ with her to engage immediately, and
there are 2 empty chairs, which enable others to enter at any
time to comment or question before returning to their seats.
- Proposer: Shirley Walters (South Africa)
- Title: Feminist Popular Education: Exploring the
edges.
- Short description: This is based on the introduction to
an emergent book which is co-edited by me and Linzi Manicom.
It contains 14 chapters from about 10 countries and 24 feminist
popular educators. The presentation will identify the key themes
that have emerged from the writings. As the reviewer of the manuscript
states ‘the text is highly original, and extends in multiple
directions pedagogical practices that explore non-cognitive,
non-linguistic, affective, intuitive and imaginal domains’.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation.
- Proposer: Stephanie Pace Marshall (USA)
- Title: Learning for a Sustainable Future: “Loving
the World and Our Children Enough. Nurturing Decidedly Different
Scientific Minds, by Design.”
- Short description: We live in times of complex global
challenges so interdependent they defy traditional modes of thinking.
“Decidedly Different” scientific minds that cultivate
the creativity, fluency and adaptive expertise of integral
and wise thinking are fundamental to sustaining a “constructive
human presence” on the earth. Learning environments must
be designed to enable students to develop the habits of mind
of inquiry-based, design-based and systems-based
thinking. This is the cognitive context for designing STEM
environments that nurture "decidedly different" scientific
minds.
- This presentation will: (1)
frame the “new narrative” for re-imagining STEM teaching
and learning, (2) describe the attributes of “decidedly
different” (integral and wise) scientific minds, and (3)
offer learning environment design conditions that drive the creation
of a new model.
- In a workshop conducted in conjunction
with this presentation, participants will delve more deeply into
these ideas and their implications for design.
- Pre-colloquium resource paper: Loving
the world and our children enough: Nurturing 'Decidedly Different'
scientific minds, by design.
- Paper (full text as presented): Loving
the world and our children enough: Nurturing 'Decidedly Cifferent'
scientific minds, by design.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation + workshop
- Proposer: Johannes C Cronjé (South Africa)
- Title: The ABC (Aim, Belief, Concern) instant research
question generator.
- Short description: A frequently-encountered weakness in
graduate research studies is the disconnect between the aim of
the research and the actual research questions. Frequently the
promise made in the introduction of a thesis is not fulfilled
by the time the conclusion is written. The paper describes an
application of Burrell & Morgan’s four paradigms of
social science research from which a set of research questions
can be derived that will ensure that what a student sets out
to do is aligned with the research questions, so that the research
methodology can be derived from that. Two dimensions combine
– the nature of science and technology, and the nature of
society.
- Resource paper: The
ABC (Aim, Belief, Concern) instant research question generator.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation
- Proposer: Martin de Wit (South Africa)
- Title: How do we approach practical, messy problems?
A reflection on how to respond to the economic and ecological
crises.
- Short description: The question how to approach practical,
messy problems where problems are not well-defined remains actual.
The recent financial and economic crisis, as well as an emerging
ecological crisis, is an opportunity to reflect on deeper questions
on how to approach and inform decisions in the real world. The
expectation is that we do not only learn on how to do things
better, but also on how to do things differently.
- Slideshow: How
do we approach practical, messy problems? A reflection on how
to respond to the economic and ecological crises.
- Paper: How do we
approach practical, messy problems? A reflection on how to respond
to the economic and ecological crises.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation.
- Proposer: Premana Premadi (Indonesia)
- Title: Learning Together the Big History: The Big
Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity.
- Short description: This round table discussion will be
on the efficiency and impact of a particular mode of learning,
i.e. learning together with a group by watching a series of recorded
lectures followed by discussion among the learners with and without
a particular expert in the group (the lecturer is not present).
I shall start off with a case report from Indonesia: A group
of about 20 people with various academic and professional backgrounds
met every week for 3 hours to follow and discuss the series of
48 lectures on the Big History by Professor David Christian.
- Slideshow:Learning
Together the Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the
Rise of Humanity.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation.
- Proposer: Ralf Syring (Democratic Republic of
Congo)
- Title: Promoting dialogue between followers of different
medical paradigms to combat the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan
Africa.
- Short description: We have started to integrate HIV related
work into the cultural context of the district of Kwango in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. The combination of research, intended
to find out about the connotations of HIV and AIDS in communities
and the terms and metaphors used by chiefs and healers to describe
it and to deal with it, and information/training of biomedical
personnel and healers has initiated a process of structured dialogue
between followers of the different medical paradigms in the district.
- Slideshow: Integration
of work against HIV into the socio-cultural context in sub-Saharan
Africa.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation.
- Proposer: Pieter van Heyningen (South Africa)
- Title: The Sustainable Innovation Stellenbosch Network.
- Short description: The Sustainable Innovation Stellenbosch
Network is an action research initiative aimed at creating a
participatory network for innovation and sustainability in Technopark
(Stellenbosch). The initiative also serves as an intervention
to kick-start or initiate a transformation or transition of a
science/business park toward sustainability, collaboration and
innovation. The proposed contact/ dialogue session will be an
idea generation debate and critique aimed at brainstorming ideas
for putting into place measures to ensure the continuation of
the SISN post project completion. As well as methods for constructing
a model for replication in other regions, science and business
parks.
- Slideshow: Learning
for sustainable futures: The sustainability oriented innovation
systems approach.
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- Session type: Presentation and discussion.
- Proposer: Evgeny Patarakin & Vasiliy Burov
(Russia)
- Title: Wiki as an ecological system.
- Short description: Ecologies and ecosystems concepts transferred
from the world of biology to the social world in order to explain
interrelations between different agents and their environment.
The concept of knowledge ecology in modern world is closely linked
with an idea of wiki as an ecological system. In this hypertext
system different agents create, recycle and reuse various text
blocks. We can use the wiki for a better understanding of the
principles of sustainability and viability of the learning
- communities.
- Slideshow: Wiki
as an ecological system.
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- Session type: Paper followed by interactive process
animated by the presenters.
- Proposer: James Lees (South Africa) & Tania
Vergnani (South Africa)
- Title: Intergenerational conversations, collective
wisdom and ownership in South Africa: teachers, pupils and families
engaging with the age of AIDS.
- Short description: While the dominant story of AIDS remains
a medical construction, in South Africa the pandemic can be understood
as testimonial of the struggle many people have in protecting
and promoting life – their own and others. This paper will
reflect on our own fledgling work to inspire intergenerational
conversations within and between families through the use of
new film on HIV produced by MTV, Shuga, in the University of
the Western Cape’s teacher education programmes. These new
conversations move beyond simply ‘breaking the silence’
and seek to create spaces where families and communities can
animate new possibilities for themselves and begin not simply
to ‘own’ the AIDS pandemic but to reclaim a process
that values their own collective wisdom and sustains their own
journeys toward the future.
- Slideshow: Intergenerational
conversations, collective wisdom and ownership in South Africa:
teachers, pupils and families engaging with the age of AIDS.
- Movie: Shuga Episode 3.
- Download the MP4 version of
the movie here.
(This takes a long time. Be patient.)
- More information about the movie
can be found here.
- All the different episodes of
the movie can be watched here,
including Episode 3 (which was used by Jim during his presentation),
without the need to first download the movie.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation + roundtable.
- Proposer: Paul Webb (South Africa)
- Title: Promoting reasoning skills via subject focus
literacy approaches.
- Short description: The focus of this discussion is on
selected recent South African research studies that have explored
efforts to promote the discussion, writing, and arguing aspects
of subject specific literacy in primary and middle schools, particularly
amongst second-language learners. These studies reveal improvements
in the participants' abilities to write and argue their findings,
as well as statistically significant improvement in their problem
solving skills.
- Slideshow: Promoting
reasoning skills via subject focus literacy approaches.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation + discussion.
- Proposer: Martin Gardiner (USA)
- Title: Learning to act: Implications for educational
reform and sustainable future, and potential aid from music training.
- Short description: The 21st century increasingly demands
the best from each of us, mentally and emotionally. Current educational
emphasis on learning focusing upon information must be supplemented
by better training to build mental and emotional capabilities
for thinking skillfully and acting wisely, individually and together.
An example of a training opportunity involving music will be
discussed. As we increasingly develop ourselves as actors, new
paths in the current world and building towards sustainable future
can open.
- ---
- Session type: Presentation.
- Proposer: Patricia Cristofaro (USA)
- Title: Antibiotic stewardship for a sustainable future.
- Short description: Almost simultaneously with the introduction
of antimicrobials into medical therapy, came the development
of resistance mechanisms in microorganisms. Prolific, uncontrolled,
and disorganized use of antibiotics in both medical and veterinary
settings including the untargeted use of antibiotics to enable
animal husbandry in overcrowded farms have now contributed to
a situation in which harmful microbes can no longer be treated
with common antibiotics. There are no new drug discoveries in
the pipeline for certain infectious which are now spreading by
worldwide travel. A new field of infectious diseases - antibiotic
stewardship - is now evolving in an attempt to contain this resistance
problem conserving current antibiotic efficacy for as long as
possible. These concepts will be discussed during this session.
- Slideshow: Antibiotic
stewardship for a sustainable future.
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- ---
- Session type: Presentation + discussion.
- Proposer: Carolina Ödman (South Africa)
- Title: Can we find the next Einstein in Africa?.
- Short description: Forthcoming.
- Slideshow: Can
we find the next Einstein in Africa?
- Video: Next
Einstein Initiative, South Africa (Euronews)
- ---
- Session type: Presentation + discussion.
- Proposer: Kevin Govender
- Title: Astronomy for development.
- Short description: The International Astronomical Union,
in recognition of the immense use of astronomy to stimulate development,
has developed a decadal strategy entitled "Astronomy for
the Developing World". At the heart of the implementation
is the Global Office for Astronomy Development (OAD) which becomes
active on 1st March 2011. The host of this office, the South
African Astronomical Observatory, has a record of using astronomy
for development through the Southern African Large Telescope's
Collateral Benefits Programme. Highlights from this programme
as well as plans for the GOAD will be discussed in the context
of using astronomy for development, especially in Africa.
- Slideshow: Astronomy
for development.
- ---
- Special Interest Group
- Proposer: Muriel Visser-Valfrey (France) with
collaborators Tania Vergnani (South Africa) and Jim Lees (South
Africa)
- Title: Health, Human Learning, Scientific Inquiry
and Sustainable Futures.
- The SIG will function during
all five days of the colloquium during afternoon sessions. For
detailed information contact Muriel.
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- Photos
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- A Picasa Web Album of photos
made by our official photopgrapher, Anya Patarakina, is available
here.
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- A different, shorter, series
of photos is available here via the Facebook page of the Learning Development
Institute. And here is one created by Carolina Ödman
Govender.
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- Video
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- A videographic impression of
the Colloquium, equally produced by Anya Patarakina, is available
via YouTube here. Alternatively, you can download it
directly from the learndev.org server here,
which may take a few minutes, considering the 16MB size of the
MP4 file.
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- Back to menu
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- Day-to-day program
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- Based on the
program elements listed above, and the lengthier descriptions
contained in the proposals submitted by participants, a day-to-day
program was developed, which is available here. Minor adjustments may
still be made.
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