Mary Collacott
I am an online learning facilitator focussed on Learning for Sustainability, and passionate about participatory and transformative approaches to learning.
Location Scotland
Activity
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What are your thoughts on the second draft @SörenLairdSörries ?
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Wow, this is an exciting initiative @OlgaCornejo-Mercado, could you share any links with us about the law or how it is being implemented in Spain?
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@JoenaS I know what you mean about needing to feel resilient! Have you seen the SDG Tracker from Our World in Data? https://sdg-tracker.org/ it allows you to click on each goal and see how we are performing globally against each of the targets (I would recommend feeling particularly resilient before having a look, as it is not the most reassuring of...
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Mary Collacott replied to Md. Shamsuddin
I have not heard of this approach @Md.Shamsuddin and would be fascinated if you had a link to further information you are able to share? I have concerns about relying on purely technical solutions, as I think we need also to change the patterns of how we use the Earth's resources too, but they will undoubtedly play a part.
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@AbongnwiGENUINE thank you for sharing you experiences - it really does exemplify how the climate has changed and as you say, how fragile our existence now is. We have reached a point where the rate of change we are seeing is too great for us to keep up with, but our efforts to slow it down are still too slow. As you describe here, we are losing our abilities...
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@PreciousChingombe I think you make a really good point here about the importance of education and awareness in generating autonomy for all people - whether in urban or rural contexts - so that they recognise their value and the value of their land and resources, so that all countries are better able to protect themselves and make informed decisions in order...
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Mary Collacott replied to Joena S
What an idea @JoenaS! I imagine this would be a much greater driver of change than the conversations and debates that are being had at COP this week, where conflicting experiences and viewpoints just seem to slam up against one another with very little room for empathy or even listening to the perspectives of those living these impacts right now.
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I think that you make a very valid point here @JoséJairoDíazLuis about the importance of education, and I think that the involvement of young people is a really important element of climate justice.
I wonder though about how things are different for teenagers today, compared to when you or I were teenagers? Do you think that they are less engaged than...
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I agree @SarahParker, I feel that there is a great desire for change amongst the participants on this course, coupled with a frustration that change is not happening, or happening too slowly, or on too small a scale. It makes me wonder what the difference is between those here, who are striving for action for a sustainable future for all, and those who are...
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Mary Collacott replied to Louisa S
Hi @LouisaS, it is absolutely ok to sign up at this point! There are a lot of materials already available here in the week 1 section, but we will also be adding daily updates this week to the week 2 section too, so you are still in plenty of time to get the most out of the course.
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Mary Collacott replied to Briha Zainab
@BrihaZainab you can! Thanks to @SörenLairdSörries for sharing the link above. The Learning for a Sustainable Future course is still available at that link, and if you sign up now you will have free access for five weeks.
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Perhaps this is also about informal education then @DeborahC? What forms of informal learning did you find the most powerful or transformative in your own experiences? How can we raise the profile of the value of informal education and what spaces and opportunities for learning in this way could we create together within our communities?
For example, I...
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I completely agree with you about the power of education @AbongnwiGENUINE, and the importance of this approach within our formal education systems.
But I would add that I don't think education is just for the young - all of us here are engaging in continuing our education as adults, and older generations need to have the capacity to 'unlearn' some of our...
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@IbrahimTuray absolutely, do come back and check for the updates, from next week there will be new content daily to check in on from our colleagues who are at COP27.
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Mary Collacott replied to Magdalene Amankwaa
@MagdaleneAmankwaa yes as @SörenLairdSörries says we have only just got started! Also, the content for this week is up for you to access already but from Monday there will be daily updates sent from our delegates at COP27 in the "Update: direct from COP" sections, so you can look forward to those in anticipation!
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I think this is a valuable way to look at things @NatHarrod, there are so many overlaps between the goals, and taking action for the climate as you suggest leads to so many other impacts that can support many other aspects of the goals.
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Thank you for highlighting this @SörenLairdSörries I think this is the correct link but will look at getting the link above mended too.
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This is a really interesting and important debate @NeelimaKendurkar and @SörenLairdSörries and I think you both make really valuable points here. I absolutely agree with what you say @SörenLairdSörries about the emphasis on individuals being problematic, but I also wonder if there is a strong argument, as I think @NeelimaKendurkar suggests, that increased...
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Mary Collacott replied to wagdi alqadase
Hi @wagdialqadase, unfortunately you will need to pay to receive a certificate through FutureLearn as that is the only way to be able to access one through this platform at this time.
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Mary Collacott replied to Percy Kwesi Obuobi
Hi @PercyKwesiObuobi, unfortunately this is not a course that has any recognised accreditation. Depending on what sort of access you have, you can opt to pay to receive a certificate from FutureLearn upon course completion if you wish.
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Mary Collacott replied to Marjory Stewart
Hi @MarjoryStewart, yes you can post any questions about how to use the course, or if you need help, in the comments here as we check it regularly, but if you have questions or responses to the course materials you can post them in the comments throughout the course too.
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Mary Collacott replied to peter mackenzie
Hi @petermackenzie, there are learning outcomes shared on the course landing page, but that can sometimes be hard to find again once you are enrolled so I will share them here in case that is useful to you:
- Investigate the broader context of COP27 and consider other associated frameworks such as The UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN...
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Mary Collacott replied to Gordon Branston
Some pertinent questions indeed @GordonBranston, and hopefully some that we will have the chance to pick apart through the course over the next fortnight.
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Mary Collacott replied to Fiona Parsons
That is a beautiful hope @FionaParsons and in regards to hope and responsibility, it made me think of the work of Christiana Figueres and others who advocate for stubborn optimism:
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Mary Collacott replied to Deborah C
Thanks for sharing the link to Liverpool Uni @DeborahC that certainly is inspiring stuff! We are so much stronger together and it is great to see this example of both staff and students uniting over a common goal to make such a strong impact.
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@KirstenSomerville wonderful, thank you! It's on my list now :)
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I like this approach @KamranAzizKhan I have similarly argued against my own viewpoints in a classroom in order to give learners the opportunity to justify their views and be able to articulate their arguments more clearly.
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It has been a scarily mild autumn here @HamsaMohamed and it really does bring home the realities of climate change that we have been lucky enough not to have experienced too extremely so far in the UK. Many of the plants here are behaving oddly as they seem to be confused over the seasons as all of the usual signals are out of sync. It does feel alarming, but...
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I am glad to hear that you feel the course has improved your knowledge but so sorry that it has left you feeling depressed @AudreyMiller ! I think it is important to recognise where we are making progress, and to take action where we can to make change within our own spheres that can lead to more widespread change. I have found https://www.gapminder.org/ as a...
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@BrihaZainab the Systems Thinking Playbook is one of the resources we had listed on step 3.8 Learning starting points, you should be able to access it here: https://www.futurelearn.com/links/l/rphznm4purwndybzns6hjbd4e4jo0cf
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Mary Collacott replied to helen hazlett
I think this is a really good point @helenhazlett, and I think that it can in a way be really helpful to see how relatively quickly we have ended up in the situation we are in now. I feel like there is often a sort of sense of 'this is just the way things are' which leads to a reluctance to embrace change, or a belief that things are a certain way and so they...
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Mary Collacott replied to Sadaf Raza
Hi @SadafRaza, the course should still be free for another few weeks, so if you share the link with others at your institution or in your family they should be able to sign up and access the course too. We also really encourage you to download any of the resources or materials that you would like to share with others so that you can use them beyond the finish...
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This is true @MagdalenaVictory, I wonder what our world would be like if more of our education systems focussed instead on compassionate values and working together, rather than individual achievements. What then would an 'educated' person look like?
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Yes @KabirPary, and creativity is something I think is hugely undervalued still in our education systems here in the UK unfortunately.
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I think what you say here about shame and judgement is really important @TaylorS - neither of those emotions are conducive to compassion, collaboration and change as they can create such barriers between people.
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I really agree with what you say here @HamsaMohamed about the value of experiential knowing being so much more impactful. It can be such a challenge too when so much information out there is produced with someone else's agenda driving it - be that the media, governments, large corporations etc. One of the things I really enjoy about connecting with people on...
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That approach sounds fascinating @KirstenSomerville - do you have any ecopedagogical readings you would recommend to get an insight into the approaches you are working with?
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@AudreyMiller That is great to hear! I love the t-learning concept, the idea of disruptive and transgressive approaches to education really appeal to me in the face of the urgency of the challenges we face, and the ways in which so many of our education systems reinforce ways of thinking that maintain our current situation rather than creating change. The...
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I like what you say here about responsibility @KamranAzizKhan and it really connects to the Sphere of Influence activity in Step 4.5. I do think there is a fine balance between frustration in the face of issues we feel we can't influence and also recognising where we each have a responsibility and capacity for making change and taking action. As educators we...
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I absolutely agree with what you say here about teaching critical thinking skills @kiranZulfiqar. I think it does not much matter what the subject is, but if we teach students the capacities and skills to be critical, analytical thinkers then they can apply this to whatever issues they are passionate about in their own lives.
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Amazing, thanks for these @CristinaOlteanu! I have not read any of the fictional ones so I am definitely adding these to my (never ending) book list!
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Mary Collacott replied to Donna McCubbin
It is quite eye opening isn't it @DonnaMcCubbin! It is quite incredible how little information is available to us when we start to dig into things, and that so many companies greenwash without huge levels of accountability for what they market their products as.
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Mary Collacott replied to Rasma Stuokiene
Oh fantastic, welcome @RasmaStuokiene and welcome to your students too, how wonderful to have you all along!
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@DeborahC Gosh, this is something I was unaware of, thank you so much for sharing. It looks like it is part of an incredible broader project too so you have given me many hours of Youtube watching to dig into I suspect!
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Mary Collacott replied to Deborah C
Oh yes, thanks for sharing this @DeborahC. I think this is something everyone should see, and even though it was made a while back now it is still so relevant (which I suppose could be a depressing thought!) They have also created some further shorter videos which are really good to share with learners, I particularly liked their Story of Solutions one -...
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I totally agree with what you say about being part of this learning community @RasmaStuokiene - I always learn so much in environments like this, and also feel so energised by connecting with others who are passionate and have ideas and experiences to share. It is one of the most wonderful things about the internet that we can be connected to one another...
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Mary Collacott replied to Cristina Olteanu
Absolutely, yes @CristinaOlteanu - I am mid way through this, and was lucky enough to hear George Monbiot speaking about it last time he was in Edinburgh, it is really thought provoking stuff, and provides some fuel for optimism too which is always a good thing!
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Ooh I would like to join that kind of book club @CristinaOlteanu! Do you have any top recommendations from the books that you read?
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I am sorry to hear that the task left you feeling this way @AudreyMiller, but I can definitely empathise! Sometimes engaging with the depth of an issue (especially one so complex and intertwined as this) can just lead to a feeling of apathy and hopelessness, but do persevere! In weeks 4 and 5 we will look a lot more at how we can all take action and make...
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I agree @kiranZulfiqar that it can be difficult sometimes to know where and how to start with these conversations and the Systems Thinking Playbook provides some great games to get things going. I have used the Arms Crossed and Pens activities from the playbook several times with groups of learners and have found them to be great starting points. My students...
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That is great to hear @KamranAzizKhan - do let us know how you get on and how your students respond if you do it with them, we would love to hear about your experiences of using this approach with learners!
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This looks like a fantastic initiative @AbhilashaPanwar, thank you so much for sharing your inspiring work with us!
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It seems that Flahavans definitely wins the competition for best oats on this discussion thread, everyone is raving about them! I'm going to have to give them a try!
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Mary Collacott replied to Aya El Hams
Hi @AyaElHams, yes the course is free for the first 5 weeks, so during that time you can access all of the materials for the whole course. If you wish to continue to have access beyond that time then the Futurelearn platform will ask you to pay for it. I would suggest trying to work through all of the materials while it is free to access, and downloading...
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Mary Collacott replied to Fiona Parsons
Thanks for highlighting this issues @FionaParsons and sharing the article here, such an interesting read. I worry about a lot of these technological solutions which don't address the levels of consumption that we engage in, but replace one product with another - even if it ostensibly a less impactful one, it will still have an impact somewhere. This article is...
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I completely agree @KirstenSomerville, so much of the way that we behave is emotionally driven and hearing facts and figures so often doesn't engage us emotionally in the same way as other ways of knowing can. I think as you said on another thread, that our education system really does prioritise propositional knowledge, particularly in certain subject areas,...
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It is great to hear about your experiences of using these with learners @LucyCastle. Was this the slavery footprinting website you used? https://slaveryfootprint.org/ I am not sure where the data comes from that is used to calculate all of the outputs, but I found it to be really eye opening personally, and such a good thing to do alongside a carbon...
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I agree @TaylorS with what you say here about the role of educators, and would be interested to know about your experiences of this, or whether this is something that you feel you have seen in any of your education settings so far? I think that creating a safe space is so crucial, but wonder whether the challenges of achieving this are what put educators off...
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I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed hearing the Sustainability Stories @AitbaiRakhymbekov - we will return to hear from them again in week 5 to see how they have taken action, or their plans for the future.
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You raise such an important point here @TaylorS, and it does beg the question - whose voices were involved in developing and writing the SDGs? We are still a long way off all voices having an equal representation. It will be interesting to see how this plays out at COP27 in a few weeks, which voices are present and whether all voices that are present are...
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It is so hard to separate them out isn't it @HamsaMohamed? Once you start to think about one, it just seems to open up how interconnected they are to all of the others. Hopefully that is also a positive thing, as actions we might take for any of the SDGs will have ripple effects on many of the others.
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Mary Collacott replied to Rosa Tuñez
Yes @RosaTuñez, and in the process we have lost so much local knowledge of how to live off and with the land, that we are only now recognising we no longer have, and did not value before.
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Wow, what an achievement @AlexWarren! This also highlights something that I think is a really important aspect of what drives us to take action, when it is something that is close to our hearts or that we feel a direct connection to. We will look more at this as we go through the course, and particularly in week 4, but I think for me one of the key questions...
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These are some wonderful values @DannelyMRomanoS that I would also like to see more of. How do you think we could shift to a world that places more value on these ways of being? I wonder whether intergenerational understanding and respect is something that is important here but has been overlooked for some time.
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This sounds like a beautiful way of being @BushraAnisNaqvi, and I would love to live in a world where everyone lives that way. Integrity is such a key value for me too.
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Yes @AlexWarren - this relates too to @Kamran Aziz Khan's post below about showing-off. It has made me interested to think about when that became the norm, how recent in our history is the idea that we need to compare ourselves and "keep up" with everyone else, or has it always been this way? And how could it be different?
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That is great to hear @AudreyMiller, please do share it far and wide!
I have made all of my friends and family watch it. I just think it is such an accessible way of introducing some really challenging ideas, and don't know anyone yet who has not found it interesting - or at least that is what they tell me :D
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I agree with what you say here @KamranAzizKhan, I had not really thought about it as 'showing off' but now you put it that way I see it, so much of the way we are encouraged to live is to do with comparing ourselves to others, which does not usually lead to happiness (this is certainly my experience!)
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It is such a shame to see that sense of community disappearing @FionaParsons - I wonder what the difference was between the strain of a shared crisis during the pandemic which made folk pull together and look out for each other, compared to the current cost of living crisis and how that seems to have made people focus inwards. Perhaps it is to do with a...
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Oh that is great to hear that you have shared it with your staff @kiranZulfiqar! How did they respond? I hope it went down well!
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You raise a really important point here @AbhilashaPanwar about the cultural importance of food, and what it means to us to be able to eat food or have drinks that are a part of our cultural heritage or upbringing. I think often many of the narratives around food and sustainability overlook these aspects of our food choices, and that this can be a reason we...
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Mary Collacott replied to Kamran Aziz Khan
I am glad you have enjoyed this one @KamranAzizKhan, it is one of my favourite resources and really challenged my thinking when I first read it. I find it a fantastic framework for thinking critically and reflecting upon my own perspectives. It made me really consider the way I introduced concepts to learners to try to make sure I was not being led by my own...
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This is true for so much of the food we eat @KamranAzizKhan, and particularly any processed food. I had an interesting conversation recently thinking about the number of people involved in producing a cotton t-shirt before it reaches our hands as a consumer, and your comment has made me consider this in the context of food too. I wonder in any meal that I eat...
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It can be a really difficult question to answer @AttaUllah! Unless we produce food ourselves, we are so reliant on the information that is available to us as consumers, and often the answers to the sorts of questions we have posed here are not readily available. I have found it to be quite an eye opening experience to realise how often I am unable to find out...
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Thanks for sharing this link @KirstenSomerville - Our World in Data is such a fantastic resource for so much sustainability related information!
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This is very true @CrystalLynneDawnDayChief and it can be difficult if we are not in control of our food choices, or if the information is not available in circumstances like you describe here. So often we are reliant on the decisions and choices that other people have made further up the system, and can feel that as a result we have little power to influence...
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I am sorry to hear this @AudreyMiller - are you unable to access the map? I will share the page link here in case that enables you to access it if you wish to read what others have shared there, but thank you for sharing your thoughts below.
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/learning-for-sustainable-future/3/steps/1564937/exercise
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I absolutely agree @KirstenSomerville. For me this is often something that young children feel quite innately, but that they unlearn, or are taught out of, as they grow up. I think that encouraging young people to see themselves as "a part of" not "apart from" the natural world is such an important element of Learning for Sustainability that is often overlooked.
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Hi @FionaParsons and @AudreyMiller, I hope that the course will help you to move from these feelings you describe to a place where you feel you can take positive action. I always find that being part of a learning community such as this helps me to feel that I do have agency to make change, and that we all have power to work towards a more sustainable and...
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Mary Collacott replied to Kirsten Somerville
@KirstenSomerville this sounds fascinating! I think that creativity and artistic expression are such important aspects of our ability to connect to the world around us, as well as in processing difficult or contentious issues. I hope that you will be able to share more of your reflections and research findings with us through the course discussions over the...
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Mary Collacott replied to Sanusha Sritharan
This sounds really interesting @SanushaSritharan, I hope you will be able to tell us more about your work with young people as we move through the course.
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Oh that is wonderful to hear about your session with the high school @ElinaHoudetsanaki, I am so pleased it went well and that you were able to use some of the ideas we have explored in the course! It is such an amazing feeling I think when you share things like this and see your own response reflected in others, especially as you say working with young people...
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Mary Collacott replied to Heba Mohamed
This is a wonderful description of an approach to education @HebaMohamed, and I completely agree. The days of delivering knowledge as a teacher are long gone, we need to be working with and learning alongside our students, finding out about the issues that make a difference to their lives and seeing how we can all collaborate together to create a better future...
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This is a great issue to focus on @HebaMohamed as it is something that really is such a huge part of everyone's daily life, and also something that as you describe here, has direct actions which can be taken to reduce the impacts. I agree that education is really key, as well as creating a supportive infrastructure where you can share knowledge and ideas, or...
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This is wonderful to hear @IonaFinlayson, it sounds like a really valuable project and I am so glad that you have found the course useful in developing your thinking around it. Wishing you all the best in taking things forwards!
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Hopefully some of the activities in week 4 and 5 can help you to take your systems web insights to a place of action @LauraP
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Mary Collacott replied to Neal Baker
Agreed! Although, I don't know @NealBaker, I think sometimes it can be the most powerful and hard hitting way because of the emotional connection that it invokes.
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This is a problem where I live too, both that people are disillusioned with the idea of sorting waste due to the belief that it will all just be put in landfill, and also that often the recycling bins are full and so there is nowhere to put waste so people feel they have wasted their time. There is also the issue of whether the waste is actually processed...
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Mary Collacott replied to Thomas Maude
@ThomasMaude you should be able to view the digital works produced and some information about the physical works here: https://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/arts/aboutus/events/localwomenoftheworld/#glasgowclimatesisters%E2%80%93localwomenoftheworldatcop26%0A
You can see Khabat's poem here:...
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Mary Collacott replied to Neal Baker
@NealBaker what a vision, thank you so much for sharing this with us! Although I also agree with @IsabelleWood, definitely a vote from me in support of the brussels sprouts! :D
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Mary Collacott replied to Thiago Siliberto
I share your vision for a sustainable future @ThiagoSiliberto, I imagine the world would be a much happier and healthier place if this were the case!
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Mary Collacott replied to Der Jiun Ooi
Ah, that is definitely an advantage of starting a little late @DerJiunOoi! :)
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I like what you say here about inviting everyone to investigate and learn @JuanaCappellino. I think too often we confine these experiences to formal education settings and forget that we are all learners and teachers in all aspects of our lives, always. We have so many opportunities to question, to be inquisitive, to reflect and to learn - if we are able to...
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Mary Collacott replied to Amanda Miller
Hi @AmandaMiller, I'm afraid not, they are just listed here at the end of each week. We try to keep all of the links up to date and relevant to the various sections of the course, so for that reason have tried to reduce their duplication in different places. I'm sorry for the inconvenience!
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I like your sentiment @IonaFinlayson, and I think that what you say here is one of the key reasons for inaction sometimes. If we enter into conflict over issues where we have a different perspective to someone else, it can often result in an impasse where no mutual understanding occurs and action or change is stalled. I too feel that what we need in order to...
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Mary Collacott replied to Iona Finlayson
Absolutely @IonaFinlayson, Dave does have a wonderfully optimistic attitude which I think we all need to be buoyed up by every so often in contrast to how depressing the news can be! I know we have linked to this elsewhere in the course, but another great positive thinker on the subject is Christiana Figueres who I believe coined the term "stubborn optimism"...
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Mary Collacott replied to M. M. Mahendra
I agree @M.M.Mahendra and I think it is so important to be able to recognise ourselves as part of a collective global community taking action, rather than just as individuals, as it helps me to keep momentum and maintain optimism.
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@AmandaMiller thanks for the book recommendations! Your magazines sound fascinating, and I agree with you @IsabelleWood that exploring how business and sustainability can work together is something that is often missed out of the education discourse. I wonder if it is because they are seen as being in conflict at a certain level and so it is perhaps not the...
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I agree @ogundokunKehinde, we can all be the change we wish to see!
