Towards Regenerative Learning Ecologies — Teachings from Judo
By: Bas Van Den Berg
Tags: Judo, Teaching, Sustainability, Reflections, Education

In this series I chronicle my experimentation, thoughts, ponderings and general musings involved in designing and enacting an ecological type of education that co-create sustainability transformations. In this short piece, inspired by my own background in Japanese Martial Arts and triggered by a conversation with someone I value much earlier in December. I explore what my teachings in Judo can teach me about this grand experiment. This is a place where I work-out-loud so I not everything will be perfect, ready to go, or completely finished. And it is always open to feedback, comments, suggestions or anything of that sort.

Looking back at strange times

One of the beautiful things of ending a year, is that it invites reflection. To look back at the year and to learn from this for the future. This past year has been nothing short of bonkers. As I imagine it has been for a majority of peoples around the world. For most of us, it’s the first time a disease has had such profound impact on our society. While I, unfortunately, have a personal relationships with disease that impacts my own abilities on a daily basis. The collective experience of COVID-19, for which the introduction of working vaccines seems to atleast show a glimmer of light at the end of what has been a (very) dark tunnel. That is, if you are lucky enough to live in a rich country that can actually afford to get vaccines. It has been tough but also a reminder for the incredible privilege in which I, and most people I know, find ourselves.

So, I find myself writing this on the last day of 2020, looking back at the year, my research, my life, my past and how these are intertwined. In fact, someone I value greatly asked only two weeks ago what I would be reflecting on and looking forward to in 2021. As I tend to do, I jump straight into pragmatism and said I wanted to continue to lose weight. A process that started earlier in this year to some success. But I also realize that some things are more important that pragmatic superficialities. Even when these are harder to think about or to reflect upon. There’s a few things that I have definitely identified I want to work on going forward such as understanding and respecting my own boundaries and being more comfortable showing and being vulnerable. The process of realizing this, which could not have been done without those around me. Has triggered an exploration of my own past, and the different types of teachers I have had.

Teachings from my past

As one tends to do (but this could also be just me as someone who is passionate about education and learning) look when looking back, I caught myself reminiscing about my own journey with education. The people who have known me for a longer time, know that I have enjoyed studying (Japanese) martial arts quite intensively for over a decade of my life. And while I don’t practice anymore due to my arthritis. It is only now I realize truly how much it has taught me. From all the martial arts I have flirted with, none touched my heart as much as Judo, in which I hold the rank of Nidan or a second degree black belt. I am sure, that for most people they look at Judo as nothing more than I would look at soccer for example. It is hard to explain the beauty within the art. Judo is something that has not only had, and continues to have, a profound impact on my life. I lack the eloquence and emotional maturity to put to words what Judo has meant to me. Perhaps someday, I will be able to do so.

While many people think of Judo in it’s modern familair format, as a sport that places a limited focus on that single element of Judo. I had the opportunity of studying under a sensei (teacher or one who has gone before) who taught a more traditional approach of Judo. You see, Judo was originally perceived as an all encompassing educational concept. The soft or gentle way/path (as Judo is also known) towards self-cultivation and self-actualization. As the designer of the system dr Kano was both a professional educator as much as he was the creator of Judo. In this form, it encompassed a moral pedagogy, physical educational system and philosophy of being. With strong influences from both Japanese (martial) arts and Western educational and psychological sciences (particularly the work of John Dewey). There are two guiding principles of Judo that together capture the spirit of this way of living.

Seiryoku-Zenyo (Maximum efficient use of energy)

Jita-Kyoei (Mutual welfare and benefit)

Throughout his life, dr. Kano stressed the importance of being in service to a greater good, of developing your own resolve, courage and ability to make a positive change in the world. One of the areas where I would argue the influence of Dewey was quite strong on his beliefs of education. These two principles can be, and should be, understood beyond the physicality of competition. I have come to believe they are actually core principles that have a place in sustainability-oriented education. And the type of ecological education that we are trying to cultivate with our experiment in changing universities. But more about that later. First, you need to know a bit more about the pedagogy of Judo. I promise it won’t be a boring journey.

This pedagogy consists roughly of two parts. There are some more sub-divisions and subcategories and these only look at the physical aspects but we will be using these as analogies for the experiment with Regenerative Learning Ecologies we are conducting later.

Kata (ritualized practice)

Randori (free play practice)

Kata are highly scripted forms of movements, most of the time between two judoka where one is the aggresor and the other is the defender. It is absolutely not a competition, as much as it is as collaborative exercise to practice. In modern educational terms, these are highly scripted learning processes designed to teach a specific thing (skill, movement, capacity, ability). A fairly traditional teaching method where experts have predefined learning paths.

Randori in contrast, are a form of play. Within the rules (which may change depending on the style or focus of training) free play is encouraged as a form of experiential learning and teaching. From an educational perspective this is competely different as it engages with exploration and application of intuition to learn more. Which is much more in line with progressive approaches to education. Now, this may sound like a logical combination to educators of our time, but remember that this system emerged in the early 20th century. Hell, a lot of educational systems today still consist primarily of Kata.

Translating to the now

Here I am, finishing a semester worth of experimentation within higher education towards more sustainability-oriented forms. Where the development of a regenerative form of leadership is central. One of the keys areas that we have been struggling with as educators has been finding the balance between structured education and free form learning. Or to find a balance between kata and randori. I don’t know yet what I can take with me when redesigning the experiment for next year from Judo. But I do know that we leaned too much towards randori in the first trial. As the students made it clear that jumping straight into play without knowing the rules of the game enough made it too complex. So going forward, there is a need to explore the Kata of an education that nurtures the type of leadership required for sustainability-oriented innovation ecosystems to flourish.

Besides using the pedagogical methods of Judo as analogy for educational design, there is also value in the guiding principles installed in Judo. Maximizing efficient use of energy to the welfare and benefit of all. I believe these could be considered core principles to an education that co-create sustainability as much as they are used for the self-perfection or actualization perscribed by dr. Kano. I like to believe that one of the key components of Judo or the gentle way is also a deep vulnerability. As being succesful in Judo is not only about strength, or force. It is about listening and embracing the flow of others. To be patient and allow yourself to be moved until the time to act presents itself. This requires a deep vulnerability, allowing yourself to be put in positions that may be counter intertuitive so that later you can create more impact. Following the way of gentleness requires vulnerability and vulnerability requires strength. This doesn’t mean that Judo always feels gentle, I can tell you from experience there are times when being literally thrown around feels anything but gentle.

Moving forward

So does this mean I will start throwing my university students around in a bout of randori going foward? No, not literally at least. I am sure randori will still have a place in the educational experiment going forward, in the sense of creating space in education for playful engagement with creating change in complex systems, through embracing vulnerability to identify leverage points for more sustainability-oriented states. I think the balance will be in creating the required kata and the sequences and balance between these kata and randori required for the type of ecological education we are trying to co-create.

For me, this requires to work on understanding and respecting my own boundaries and being more comfortable showing and being vulnerable as without working aspects of myself I don’t believe I will honour the teachings of my Judo past or be able to bring the type of education we are trying to achieve into being. Why I believe so, how I will do so and when I will do so remain stories for another time. So now, here I am on the precipice of 2021 close to receiving the final works of the students involved in the pilot. I ponder what the future will bring, how I can embrace this difficult work and walk the gentle path. But first, I will honour an age old Dutch tradition, of eating oliebollen with my family.

Happy new year and may you walk the gentle path.