This topic explores an alternative to traditional learning by suggesting an unusual changing behaviour process known as 'Nudging'. I realise some of my colleagues may question the use of such a process in the context of life-long-learning. However, what I am looking to do is for PASCAL to explore alternative ways of adults, citizens and communities learning to have the confidence to try something new and better for themselves. Often they fail to learn through conventional routes.
So what is 'Nudging'? A simple example might help understanding!!
Sports UK is an organisation that has begun to enter the realm of behaviour change techniques which involves nudging people’s behaviour in the desired direction that didn’t involve the traditional carrot or stick approach. Some ingenious/crazy person designed a ‘fun’ litter bin.
A fun litter bin? Eh? I’m talking about bins that make funny noises when an item is dropped into it or the voice of the X Factor (Peter Dickson) congratulating you for using the bin. Ok, some people might actually be put off using the bin if it spoke to you, but the idea was there; if you can nudge a person to modify their behaviour using subtle techniques (or not so subtle in the case of the bins) you are potentially more likely to be successful.
Another example of ‘fun’ behaviour nudging techniques that have been used comes from Amsterdam Airport. Another ingenious/crazy person designed a fly sticker to be placed within the men’s urinals at the airport. The sticker gave men something to ‘aim’ at and thereby producing less mess to be cleaned up! There was no polite (or impolite) notice in the loos asking the gentlemen to be more careful, there was just a simple fly sticker placed in each urinal...and it worked!! Take a look http://www.urinalfly.com/
Cass Sunstein – a Law Professor at Harvard – recently gave a most interesting video production on ‘Nudging and its Impact’ which may also stimulate thoughts in PASCAL readers:
So, PASCAL colleagues, can you think of a crazy/ingenious way of getting citizens and communities to be more sustainable?
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In order to get discussion going for this section I thoughts I would put up an interesting yet controverisal process for change. The trouble is we often keep using the same old ways that don't work for life long learning, especially for those who found learning difficult in the past.
What I hoped to engender was a discussion of a number of useful learning processes for adults, citizens and communities. So in another Forum in this theme, the use of social media and especially video material put together by citizen reporters in stories is in a language that engages learners and helps them gain confidence to try. So what other ways can PASCAL think of that might do a better job.
So what Chris Duke says is right. However, it is not about treating citizens as being informed and with good judgement. It is about respecting their ways of communication and knowledge sharing. So what can Chris, or others suggest are more ethical ways of learning practical wisdom for the real world?
The first entry might introduce nudging in this way, but the messages seem to have done what I had hoped.