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The introduction module of this OER provides a whistle-stop tour of degrowth and outlines the structure of the course! You should start in this column!

The audio introduction below incorporates work from the following sources: D'Alisa et al 2015, Glavic 2020 and Cattaneo et al 2012)

A pdf transcript of the introductory audio can also be found below!

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Cattaneo C, D’Alisa G, Kallis G, Zografos C (2012) “Degrowth futures and democracy” Futures 44:512-523

D’Alisa G, Demaria F, Kallis G (2015) “Degrowth. A vocabulary for a new era” Routledge, Oxford.

De Vita A, Bertell L (2018) "Education and work in movements for different economies: new envisaged scenarios and grass-roots political practices.

Glavic P (2020) “Identifying key issues of education for sustainable development” Sustainability 12, 6500 https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166500

Jones A (2020) “What is an educational good? Theorising education as degrowth.” Journal of Philosophy of Education https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12494

Vetter A (2018) “The matrix of convivial technology – assessing technologies for degrowth” Journal of Cleaner Production 197: 1778-1786

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Watch the video below! Kate Raworth does a spectacular job of explaining the importance of the degrowth movement. We will build on this by exploring how degrowth pertains specifically to digital education.

Kate's talk is owned by TED CC BY–NC–ND 4.0 International

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A healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow

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What would a sustainable, universally beneficial economy look like? “Like a doughnut,” says Oxford economist Kate Raworth. In a stellar, eye-opening talk, she explains how we can move countries out of the hole -- where people are falling short on life’s essentials -- and create regenerative, distributive economies that work within the planet’s ecological limits.

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One aim of this OER is to give you the chance to see degrowth in practice, as it pertains to you.

With this in mind, it's important to reflect on who you are, what role you play in your community and society, and what are some of the challenges you face in your role.

Task:
Leave a comment, replying to this post, with a little introduction about yourself. Who are you? What do you do in your career/community and what are some of the challenges you face or your worries for the future in your role?

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With the introductory module complete, you are free to explore Jones' (2020) four pillars of degrowth in any order you wish, before ending at the conclusion! Have fun!

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In order to simplify, tear away what has been done and do differently, we need a little creativity. The ability to improvise and innovate is key to degrowth.

It can be difficult to know where to begin when creating something new from scratch. As Kate Raworth's Ted talk explains, while you may feel bounded, it is the limits of a problem that often breed the most innovation.

This module will provide some inspiration and advice on what that could look like in a degrowth context, before setting a task to explore how it pertains to you!

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What is it to be innovative? How can we be encouraged to explore our creativity?

Task:
Read the paper linked below to see how simplicity pertains to degrowth.

De Vita and Bertell, 2018.

"They are witnessing the creation of practices that demonstrate an enthusiasm for learning, participation, justice and responsibility"

In this paper, De Vita and Bertell  investigate changes in education and work brought about by the needs and limits of alternate economies.

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We present a study that pertains to the discussion about educational dimensions in the field of different economies (Solidarity Economy Networks, Solidarity Purchasing Groups, Degrowth movement, etc.). These organisations have developed their own practices and values that have given rise to new ways of living and new models of work. In terms of adult education, we ask under which conditions these informal contexts can be environments for self-education in citizenship and political engagement. They are witnessing the creation of practices that demonstrate an enthusiasm for learning, participation, justice and responsibility, all against the backdrop of a rejection of the prevailing neo-liberal model. This study employed a qualitative methodology based on Case Studies and Grounded Theory. The results reveal that (transition) workers in different economies are experiencing new types of education and work in which the group involved, and the processes of self-education in play, all have a pivotal role to play.

Keywords

Published in Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica

ISSN

1970-2221 (Online)

Publisher

University of Bologna

Country of publisher

Italy

LCC subjects

Education: Education (General)

Website

http://rpd.unibo.it/

About the journal

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We present a study that pertains to the discussion about educational dimensions in the field of different economies (Solidarity Economy Networks, Solidarity Purchasing Groups, Degrowth movement, etc.). These organisations have developed their own practices and values that have given rise to new ways of living and new models of work.

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So how does "What if?" work in principle? Once we have identified a problem, we can begin to tackle it.

A classic degrowth example is the composting toilet (Vetter, 2018). We all have a toilet in our homes, occasionally more than one! They are nifty inventions, but they do consume a lot of water to ferry waste elsewhere. What if we imagined a toilet without water? What if we imagined a toilet that dealt with its own waste.

And so, the composting toilet is conceived. No water needed and able to break down waste rather than shipping it on. While traditional sustainability would perhaps ask "can you use the toilet less?" degrowth seeks to ask "can we redefine what a toilet is?"

Composting toilet: Samuel Shields 2020 CC-BY-SA.

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First watch the talk beneath from macroeconomist Robert Gordon, then attempt the task beneath!

Robert's talk is owned by TED CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International

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The death of innovation, the end of growth

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The US economy has been expanding wildly for two centuries. Are we witnessing the end of growth? Economist Robert Gordon lays out 4 reasons US growth may be slowing, detailing factors like epidemic debt and growing inequality, which could move the US into a period of stasis we can’t innovate our way out of. Be sure to watch the opposing viewpoint from Erik Brynjolfsson.

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Think about your own position in digital education. What are some of the inefficiencies, wasteful practices and challenges you currently contend with?

By thinking differently, rather than trying to merely do less,  what might the solution be?

Task:
Identify an area of digital education that you feel is wasteful.
Why is it wasteful?
If money, technology and expertise were no barrier, how would you redesign it?
Add a new padlet note to this column (marked in green) that shows the problem you have found, and your take on a novel solution.
Text is fine, but don't forget padlet is quite flexible in letting you add video, audio, diagrams etc too!

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Applying a degrowth mindset to digital education would mean emphasising interdependence. It is not enough to merely be aware of the need to work with others, we should foster opportunities to form a symbiotic relationship with others through community and collaboration. This is what it is to adopt conviviality.

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One of the best ways to build a community is not to read passively about how it could be done, but to get stuck in and take part!

Task:
Begin a story in the comments section of this post. If you're the first comment, leave us with the first paragraph of a story all of your own.
If you find a comment there, reply and carry on the story. You can take it in any direction you wish!
(Do try to check back every now and then to see how the story is progressing and if you can add a fresh few sentences!)

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The OER commons is a repository of open-access teaching resources. In their "about us" section they state:
"The worldwide OER movement is rooted in the human right to access high-quality education. This shift in educational practice is not just about cost savings and easy access to openly licensed content; it’s about participation and co-creation."

Task:

Visit the OER commons site, and find an OER that interests you. This could be genuinely any of them. Read through the OER on offer (I'd recommend picking a shorter one), and leave a comment for the creator (You may need to register an account but it's a fast, free process!)

This could be positive feedback, friendly advice, or just a thank you for providing a useful resource!

Regardless, it's your first step in contributing to this digital community!

You could screenshot your comment and post it in a new Padlet note at the bottom of this column to show what you have been up to (and if they reply!)

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While the OER Commons is an excellent experiment in conviviality, it does promote accumulation. Institutions and individuals regularly post their own resources, but how often do they reach out to collaborate and produce fewer resources that are greater than the sum of their parts?

One of the major risks of having a seemingly endless amount of digital storage space is that we can fill it with countless resources and data galore, but is the best use of our technologies?

In this module you will have the chance to reflect on what your role would be like in a world that resisted accumulation.

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Task:
As an exercise in avoiding accumulation, suppose you were trapped on a desert island, with your life pared down to 10 things:

8 songs.

1 book.

1 luxury.

What would you take with you?
Leave your answer in a comment on this Padlet note!

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Now for a chance to reflect on which areas of your own role in digital education are too swollen!

Educators often list similar excesses:

Too many resources

Too many credentials

Too many providers

Too much data

Though there are many more besides!

Task:
Reflect on your own practice in your own field.

What do you accumulate?

Rather than doing less, how could you do differently to achieve your goals?

Leave a new Padlet note at the bottom of this column with your own reflections.

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Degrowth has, at its heart, a focus on the wellbeing of the individual. By caring about the people in a society, only then can the society thrive.

In this module you will reflect on how you prioritise putting others first.

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In education, a learner, teacher and institution can often have radically different ideas of what success looks like and how to achieve it.

Task:
Reflect on your own role in digital education. What does success look like for you, your employer and any learners in your care? How often are these perceptions aligned with your learners' and your institution's?

Try to fill in the table below and post your filled-in copy in a new Padlet Note beneath.

Next, take a photo/screenshot that evidences how you incorporate care for others into what you do. Add a few lines to explain what your photo shows and add this to your Padlet note.

Success table: Samuel Shields 2020 CC-BY-SA.

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Task:
Robert Gordon's challenge at the end of his talk is a clear one. To continue to grow and provide an improved quality of life for future generations, we need new innovations, but also more new inventions to fuel more growth.

I would like you to apply your new understanding of degrowth to critique his talk.

What are some of the problems associated with continuing to improve quality of life as the speaker recommends?

How could we achieve a different future with a good quality of live for our society?

Leave your answer in a comment replying to this Padlet note!

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You have now spent nearly 3 hours learning about degrowth, the pillars the movement could be built on in digital education and how it pertains to your own practice.

Task:
Finally, it's time for you to have your say. A dialogue is key to building a community, and hearing your views is vital in developing an OER that cares! So what is your take on degrowth?

Was this OER useful in thinking about your own practice?

Is there a pillar that stands out as being applicable to you in your role?

Which aspects did you disagree with?

What do you think are the challenges with incorporating a degrowth mindset into digital education?

Do leave a final comment, perhaps reflecting on the questions raised above, or at least to say goodbye!

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Thank you for taking the time to go through my OER, to take part in the tasks and explore the various media presented here!

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Use tech better to stop wasting paper

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I would set up a fund to supply laptops to all students during their time in education based on a deposit system. They may learn some respect for equipment. They return each year for a recycle and issue of another. The refurbished then get passed on to others less fortunate. I would purchase the best Wi-FI access point solution to reduce the institutional general infrastructure so that learners can move round the campus seamlessly.

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I have to say I find CCOER very underwhelming. I have spent at least half an hour searching for something meaningful. This has some reasonable interesting content. Not a fan!

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I think these views are very much in line with the teachers and management. As for the learner - their motivations are multiple. With having to be in education until 18 - it can sometimes be because they must or are appeasing parents and guardians. Their success maybe being asked to leave... sadly

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This work, and all audio and image resources included are accredited to Samuel Shields CC-BY-SA.

The Ted talks included are accredited to TED CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International.