Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...
Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...
Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...
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Chapter 2: <strong>Adaptive</strong> Collaborative Management: A Conceptual Model • 35<br />
and their relevance for research and rural development, Van der Veen<br />
(2000) and Loev<strong>in</strong>sohn et al. (2000), however, usefully dist<strong>in</strong>guish this<br />
as ‘reproductive learn<strong>in</strong>g’ and note the differences between it and two<br />
other types (‘experiences’) <strong>of</strong> learn<strong>in</strong>g—constructivist and transformative<br />
learn<strong>in</strong>g (Box 2-5).<br />
Box 2-5. Reproductive, constructive and transformative learn<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Reproductive learn<strong>in</strong>g ‘assumes that there is a body <strong>of</strong> objectively verifiable<br />
knowledge and that this can be taught by break<strong>in</strong>g down content <strong>in</strong>to its essential<br />
elements’ (Vernooy and McDougall 2003: 115). As noted by McDougall et al.<br />
(2002:30), reproductive learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> many situations ‘plays an important role <strong>in</strong><br />
capacity build<strong>in</strong>g and shorten<strong>in</strong>g the time required to put … plans <strong>in</strong>to action’,<br />
but it alone is not sufficient for either <strong>in</strong>dividuals or groups <strong>in</strong> complex sett<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />
Constructivist learn<strong>in</strong>g, on the other hand, is rooted <strong>in</strong> the constructivist notion<br />
<strong>of</strong> reality, explored above <strong>in</strong> this chapter. Draw<strong>in</strong>g on Van der Veen (2000) and<br />
Loev<strong>in</strong>sohn et al. (2000), Vernooy and McDougall (2003:115) note that this<br />
approach is built on the assumption that ‘important features <strong>of</strong> the external<br />
world are uncerta<strong>in</strong> and disputed, and that people actively construct their<br />
understand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> it. (Re)discovery and <strong>in</strong>novation, not repetition, are essential<br />
parts <strong>of</strong> this construction process’. In practice, this approach manifests itself more<br />
<strong>in</strong> the form <strong>of</strong> facilitated (rather than <strong>in</strong>structor-led) group work and shared<br />
plann<strong>in</strong>g and action, such as might be seen <strong>in</strong> some <strong>collaborative</strong> <strong>management</strong><br />
projects.<br />
The third learn<strong>in</strong>g approach we highlight here is transformative learn<strong>in</strong>g. Typically<br />
characterised by an ‘ah-ha’ moment, this type <strong>of</strong> learn<strong>in</strong>g is<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten stimulated by communicative (or constructivist) learn<strong>in</strong>g, but goes<br />
beyond it, <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternalization and transformation <strong>of</strong> understand<strong>in</strong>g<br />
… In this approach, ‘learners’ together build a more <strong>in</strong>tegrated or <strong>in</strong>clusive<br />
perspective <strong>of</strong> the world. Through the learn<strong>in</strong>g process, they jo<strong>in</strong>tly<br />
transform some part <strong>of</strong> their worldview, for example their understand<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>of</strong> social relations <strong>in</strong> their own <strong>community</strong> forest … Manifestations <strong>of</strong><br />
transformative learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> resource <strong>management</strong> <strong>in</strong>clude, for example, new<br />
values or patterns <strong>of</strong> decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g that farmers generate and apply<br />
outside the immediate arena <strong>of</strong> a learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>tervention … It <strong>in</strong>tentionally<br />
activates the ‘praxis’ (i.e., the theory and practice l<strong>in</strong>kage that constructivism<br />
highlights) as a means <strong>of</strong> (self-)empowerment for marg<strong>in</strong>alised people and<br />
improvements <strong>in</strong> human systems. (Vernooy and McDougall 2003:116)<br />
This type <strong>of</strong> learn<strong>in</strong>g, which can be observed <strong>in</strong> some participatory action research<br />
<strong>in</strong>itiatives <strong>in</strong> natural resource <strong>management</strong>, can trace its roots back to the<br />
conscientisation and ‘popular education’ movements for social change associated<br />
with Paulo Freire <strong>in</strong> Lat<strong>in</strong> America (Freire 1972; DFID 1998; Brandt 1989).