The use of group work and journal writing in reinventing development planning for sustainability under complexity

Since 2002 Stellenbosch has offered a multidisciplinary Masters programme in Planning, Management and Practice of Sustainable Development (with a specialisation in development planning), offered mainly for working adult students. One of the challenges of developing a curriculum for this degree is that sustainable development (SD) and ‘development planning’, the focal points of the programme, are potentially very broad concepts, requiring the exploration of a variety of complex challenges in the African context, moving beyond the traditional spatial focus of planning in South Africa. This article explores the various potential meanings of SD, as well as its link with complexity thinking, systems thinking and complex adaptive systems and its implications for planning education and curriculum development. Complex adaptive systems thrive on diversity, creativity, and innovation. The programme is not about spoon-feeding, but about allowing space to explore and discover for oneself the diverse interpretations, tensions and contradictions inherent in planning, development and sustainability. Most concepts (participation, sustainability, planning, development, and so on) have a whole continuum of possible meanings between polar opposites, and it is important to make students aware of the language games people play in order to enable them to move beyond the clichés, myths and spin. Self-managed learning is an important element of this programme and innovative methods have to be found to teach the basics (to kick-start the learning) and create the pre-conditions for lifelong learning, as well as instil the critical, questioning, and imaginative attitude needed to invent the sustainable future we need. In addition to formal lectures and discussion classes, writing skill workshops to teach the important skill of writing, two of the more innovative teaching techniques used to try and bridge the teaching divide are journal writing and group work. In the real world, actor collaboration and group processes are very important methods of building knowledge. Since SD does not have a fixed meaning and is value-laden and multi- (or trans-) disciplinary, it requires democratic and deliberative public processes to give meaning to the concept. For this reason, group work forms an important element of the teaching curriculum and students are required to give feedback on the group process after each exercise and in their journals. The purpose of the journal writing is also to try to stimulate deep, rather than superficial learning and to help make the linkages in support of transdisciplinary learning, where learners are taught to make connections between social, political, economic, biological and physical dimensions and to make use of more holistic ways of thinking. Journal writing and reflections on group work have demonstrated many learning benefits, but also the need for more structure and guidance to steer individual learning processes.

Haesale ho tloha ka selemo sa 2002 Stellenbosch e fana ka dithuto tsa lenaneho la Masters la dikgalemo tse fapaneng moralong, tsamaisong le phethahatso ya Ntshetsopele ya Poloko (ka boikgethollo moralong wa ntshetsopele), oo ho fanweng ka wona haholoholo ho baithuti ba batho ba baholo ba sebetsang. E nngwe ya diphepetso tsa ho bopa lenane la ldithuto tsa lyunivesithi la dithuto tse phahameng tsa yunivesithi ke hobane ntshetsopele ya ho boloka le ‘moralo wa ntshetsopele’, seoo ho tsepamisitsweng mahlo ho sona lenanehong lena, ke mantswe a batsi haholo, a batlang boithuto ba diphepetso tse tshophodi tse fapafapaneng ha ho tluwa Afrika, ho fetelwa tsipamisong ya mahlo sebakeng sa setso kapa setho sa moralo ho la Afrika Borwa. Pampiri ena e ruta meelelo ya bohlokwa e fapafapaneng ya Ntshetsopele e bolokwang, e boelang e momahana le ho nahana ho thata, ho nahana mekgwa ya ho nahana le mekgwa ya boitlwaetso e thata le tseo di e bolelang moralong wa thuto le ho bopeng lenane la dithuto (kharikhulamo). Mekgwa ya boitlwaetso e thata e hahamalla ho fapafapana, ho bopa, le ho ntjhafatsa. Llenaneho lena ha se la ho jesa motho ka kgaba, empa ho fana ka sebaka ho ithuta le ho fihlella ka bowena ho fapafapana ha meelelo, ditsitsipano le dithulano tse fumanweng moralong, ntshetsopeleng, le ho bolokeng. Bongata ba mantswe (ho kenela, ho boloka, moralo, ntshetsopele, jwalojwalo) a na le thotohadi ya meelelo e meng pakeng tsa mahanyetsi mme ebile ke ntho ya bohlokwa ho lemohisa baithuti ka dipapadi tsa puo tseo batho ba ba bapallang tsona hore ba tle ba kgone ho sutha le ho fetela ka nnqane ho mantswe a sebedisitsweng tlolo, bosatsejweng, le ho loha. Ho ithuta ka bowena ke ntlha ya bohlokwa ya lenaneho lena mme mekgwa ya ntjhafatso e tlamehile ho fumanwa ho ruta dintho tsa motheo (ho simolla thuto) le ho bopa maemo a tlang pele a boithuto ba nako e telele. Esitana le ho kenya mafolofolo a matla, boipotso, le boinahano tse hlokehang ho sibolla bokamoso boo re ka bo bolokang boo re bo hlokang. Ka ntle ho dithuto tse hlophisitsweng baithuti ba buisanang, ho etsa dikopano tsaa boitshoriso tsa ho ngola ho ruta bohlale ba sebele ba ho ngola, e mmedi ya mekgwa ya ntjhafatso ya ho ruta ya e mengatangata e lekang ho sebediswa ho kwala sekgeo, ke ho ngola jenale le lmosebetsi wa ho sebetsa le le sehlopha. Lefatswheng la nnete, tshebedisano ya ba amehang le ditshebetso tsa sehlopha ke mekgwa ya bohlokwa ho bopa tsebo. Ka ha tswelopele ya ho boloka e se na moelelo o tsepameng ebile e tletse bohlokwa ebile e na le dikgalemo tse ngata (ho phunyeletsa), ho hloka ditshebetso tsa setjhaba ka setjhaba le buisana ho fana ka moelelo lentsweng lena. Ka lebaka lena, mosebetsi wa sehlopha kapa tshebetso ya sehlopha, e bopa ntlha ya bohlokwa ya lenane la dithuto tsa yunivesithi (kharikhulamo) ya ho ruta mme baithuti ba kotjwa ho fana ka diphetho tshebetsong ya sehlopha ka mora mosebetsi o omong le o mong esitana le dijenaleng tsa bona. Sepheo sa ho ngola jenale e sa boetse e le ho hlasimolla thuto e teb ileng ho ena le e bobebe le ho thusa ho etsa dimomahano tshehetsong ya thuto ya kgalemo e ka mahohle, moo baithuti ba rutwang ho etsa dikamahano dipakeng tsa tsa kahisano, tsa dipolotiki, tsa moruo, tsa maphelo a batho le dimela le diphetoho tsa mmele esita lel ho sebedisa mekgwa e mengata ya ho nahana. Ho ngola jenale le tse etsahalang sehlopheng sa tshebetso di bontshitse dikatleho tse ngata tsa ho ithuta, empa ha mmoho le tlhoko e kgolo ya sebopeho le tataiso ho kgana ditshebetso tsa boithuto ba motho ka mong.