Interdependence

Have you ever thought of your class, school or community as an eco-system? Below are eight key principles of eco-systems which have been adapted to apply to learning communities.

Interdependence All members of an ecosystem are interconnected in a web of relationships in which all life processes depend on one another. The success of the whole system depends upon the success of its individual members, while the success of each member depends upon the success of the system as a whole.	In a learning community, teachers, students, administrators, parents, businesses and community members are all interlinked in a network of relationships, working together to facilitate learning.
Sustainability The long term survival (sustainability) of each species in an ecosystem depends on a limited resource base.	Building learning communities around the issue of sustainability means that teachers see the long term impact they have on students.
Ecological Cycles The interdependencies among the members of an ecosystem involve the exchange of matter and energy in continual cycles. These cycles act as feedback loops.	The teaching does not flow from the top down, but there is a cyclical exchange of information. The focus is on learning and everyone in the system is both a teacher and a learner.
Energy Flow Solar energy, transformed into chemical energy by the photosynthesis of green plants, drives all ecological cycles	Learning communities are open communities where people are moving in and out, finding their own niches in the system.
Partnership All living members of an ecosystem are engaged in a subtle interplay of competition and cooperation, involving countless forms of partnership.	All members of the learning community cooperate and work in partnership, which means democracy and empowerment because each part plays a very crucial role.
Flexibility In their function as feedback loops, ecological cycles have the tendency to maintain themselves in a flexible state, characterized by interdependent fluctuations of their variables.	In a learning community, there is dynamic change and fluidity. Daily schedules are fluid; each time there is a change of theme, the learning environment is recreated.
Diversity The stability of an ecosystem depends crucially on the degree of complexity of its network of relationships; in other words, on the diversity of the system.	Experiences that encourage students to use diverse modes and strategies of learning are essential in learning communities. Diverse learning styles are appreciated for the richness they bring to the learning situation. Cultural diversity is critical to establishing the school as a true community.
Coevoltion Most species in an ecosystem co-evolve through an interplay of creation and mutual adaptation. The creative reaching out into novelty is a fundamental property of life, manifest also in the processes of development and learning.	As businesses, community groups and parents move into partnership with the school, each better understands the needs of the other. In a true committed partnership both partners change - they co-evolve.

Source: A Guide to Ecoliteracy: A new context for school restructuring , 1993. Available from: The Elmwood Institute, 2522 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, California, 94702

Designing a learning community which is based on

ecological principles