PTTraining teachers to teach the circular economy
Who will teach future managers to close the production loop, reusing instead of throwing away? The thesis designed and ran a 40-hour programme for management teachers at a public institution in Maranhão, in northeastern Brazil, and followed what changed in the thinking and actions of those who saw it through. Explained in 12 screens.
Today's economy runs in a straight line, from resource to rubbish
Extract, make, use and throw away: that is the linear model. The circular economy tries to close the loop, bringing materials and products back into production. For the thesis, it is a good theme for training teachers because it forces you to think about the environment, the economy and people at the same time. Compare the two drawings:
Drawing simplified by us. The thesis uses the Ellen MacArthur Foundation diagram (Figure 2), known as the "butterfly diagram", with a technical cycle and a biological cycle.
Teaching on the circular economy still looks more at technology than at society
There are very different ways of talking about the circular economy. A classification used by the thesis (Calisto-Friant and colleagues, 2020) crosses two questions: can we grow without destroying the environment, fast enough? (optimistic or sceptical) And does the conversation include social justice and political participation, or only efficient use of resources? (holistic or segmented). Tap a quadrant:
The researcher studied, listened to experts and then taught the course
In action research, the researcher also intervenes. The author, a teacher at the institution itself, built the programme in stages: what the literature said, what experts did, what colleagues already knew. Then he ran the course and interviewed those who completed it. Tap a stage:
Sections 2.4, 3.3, 6 and 7 of the thesis. Bars on the same scale within each stage. The interviews were examined with thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke), looking for recurring themes.
Those who teach the subject mix content, fieldwork and reflection
Before designing the course, the author interviewed 12 teachers of the circular economy: 8 in Brazil and 4 in Canada, all with doctorates and 13 to 32 years in the classroom. They described 11 strategies, which the thesis groups into three families. Tap a block:
Strategies and expected results from Table 11 and section 6.5.3; families from Figure 9. Each block is a strategy mentioned, not a count of how many teachers use it (the thesis does not say).
The hard part is teaching the whole system, not just recycling
The experts listed ten challenges in teaching the circular economy. One was "frequently cited", in the thesis's words. Which do you think it was?
And what teachers need
Challenges from Figure 8 and section 6.5.4; skills from section 6.5.5. The thesis does not count how many teachers mentioned each challenge.
Eight online sessions, each designed as a stage of transformation
In transformative learning (Mezirow), people change perspective when a dilemma makes them question what they took for granted. The programme, offered by the institution itself with a certificate, followed these stages. Tap a session:
Tables 12 to 14 and section 7.1. Online (Google Meet and Classroom) because of the pandemic. In the thesis, the 5th session has no stage of its own; the 3rd and 4th share two stages.
Four of the six showed signs of rethinking their own premises
Mezirow distinguishes three kinds of reflection. On content (what the problem is), on process (how to solve it) and on premises, when the problem itself is questioned. Only the last usually changes one's perspective. In the final interviews, the author found all three. Tap a cube:
Table 16 of the thesis. The person × type grid is put together by us from that table; PPA4 does not appear in it but does appear in other analyses (screen 11). The thesis speaks of "signs": these are the participants' own accounts.
Each participant designed a project for their town's economy
The final assignment was a teaching, research or outreach project linked to the economic activity around the campus. There were six, in six sectors. The interviews revealed more: things some did without anyone asking. Switch on the spontaneous actions and tap a block:
Projects from Table 17 (the thesis calls them "prompted action"); spontaneous actions from Table 18. Putting the projects into practice was not an aim of the study; the thesis did not follow whether they got off the ground.
Teachers have little time, and the course had to fit into it
The programme used several tools to prompt reflection. Some caught on, others did not. Place a bet on each, then see what the author reported:
The technique used (Mentimeter) makes us write better, because other people will see it […] When we're students, we get inhibited.PPA4, after the programme
We end up not having time to read everything. When we're on the other side, we're students just like our students.PPA4, after the programme
It was really good to hear what colleagues had to say. I think it would have been even better with more participants.PPA1, after the programme
Section 8 of the thesis (assessment of the programme) and Table 20. Mentimeter is a website where everyone answers on their phone, anonymously, and the answers appear instantly for the group. Attendance at the sessions was also irregular, according to the author. Quotes translated by us.
Changing as an educator means seeing yourself from outside and talking with others
To read the interviews, the author used Patricia Cranton's (2016) stages for teacher transformation. Tap a station on the path, or see the group before, during and after:
Stations and quotes from Table 20; before, during and after from Table 21 of the thesis.
To educate critical students, you first have to educate critical teachers
The thesis argues for combining transformative learning, in its social and critical strand, with education for the circular economy. It concludes that we cannot rely only on each teacher's motivation: universities need to open spaces for ongoing, not one-off, teacher development.
For universities and business schools
- Offer teacher development as institutional policy, with a certificate and support, not as an isolated initiative.
- Take circular economy teaching beyond technology: include workers, communities and social justice.
For those who train teachers
- Make the most of session time: short texts, videos and live questions worked better than long readings and weekly journals.
- Return to the answers given at the start so everyone notices what changed.
For management teachers
- Start from the problems and economic activities of the students' own town.
- Mix content, field and critical-reflective strategies, rather than choosing just one.
What this research does not tell us
- Whether it applies elsewhere. It took place in a specific region and a specific institution. · according to the author
- How it would work in person and with students. The online format came from the pandemic, and there were no students, community members, site visits or many expert talks. · according to the author
- Whether the changes last. There was no follow-up over time; the author suggests longitudinal studies. · according to the author
- Six people and their accounts. Of 17 enrolled, 6 completed; the signs of change come from what they reported, with no comparison group. · our observation
- Projects on paper. The six projects were planned during the course; the thesis did not follow their implementation. · our observation
Credits
SANTOS, Veríssimo Nascimento Ramos dos. Aprendizagem transformadora na formação docente em Administração: uma pesquisa-ação pedagógica em Educação para a Economia Circular [Transformative learning in management teacher education: a pedagogical action research in education for the circular economy]. Doctoral thesis (Business Administration) · Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, 2023. Advisor: Prof. Dr. Janette Brunstein.
Supported by CAPES (Brazil's federal agency for graduate education) and Mackenzie, including a doctoral exchange at HEC Montréal, Canada. Participants are identified only by code (P1 to P12 and PPA1 to PPA6). Quotes translated by us. This version simplifies the work for a general audience.