Understanding the environment: learning and communication

Introduction

This unit will facilitate your own exploration of key environmental, social and economic threats that will converge to challenge communities in the near future. You will be required to develop this exploration according to three modes of modelling and communication: verbal, visual, and numerical. This multi-mode approach encourages a more holistic exploration of the complexity involving the left and right side of the brain and using a wider range of intelligences. This will hopefully allow you to produce a more appropriate and actionable understanding of complex situations in stark contrast to the conventional logical-analytical approach which is usually taught in educational establishments.

This unit is an adapted extract from the Open University course Understanding systems: making sense of complexity (T214).

Original Copyright © 2008 The Open University. Now made available within the Creative Commons framework under the CC Attribution – Non-commercial licence (see http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/).