A living systems approach to education - A Conversation with Carol Sanford

Carol Sanford (⁠⁠https://carolsanford.com/⁠⁠) is one of the most
important thinkers of the last few decades. Like no-one else, her
work calls out the deeply damaging effects of Behaviourism on all
aspects of our lives, especially learning and education, and
advocates for a living systems approach to business, education
and community.


Carol’s latest book, ‘No More Gold Stars: Regenerating Capacity
to Think for Ourselves’ is in some ways a synthesis of many of
her most powerful ideas that she has developed through a lifetime
of practice and learning from various indigenous and wisdom
traditions. But it also calls out the damaging Behaviourist ideas
that have ‘become ubiquitous in all our lives and institutions’
and undermined our trust in our abilities to know ourselves and
think for ourselves - in all of our various and richly diverse
ways. As Tyson Yunkaporta calls it in his amazing foreword to the
book, “the sharp and pointy gift that keeps on giving”.


As someone living with ALS, Carol’s voice can be a little hard to
understand at times, so if you would like it you will find a
transcript link here:
⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wkr31QCA2MO5y9AynAq0L7Qb1bStlk0muFralyIfBeM/edit?usp=sharing⁠⁠
(as well as the automatic transcription on Spotify and some other
podcast platforms).


As Carol says in Part One: “I use the 7 First
Principles of Living Systems to be rigorous in examination,
precise in focus and in order to rise up and venerate life.
Otherwise, we fool ourself for the sake of our ego.”
(https://carolsanford.medium.com/the-regenerative-education-system-and-practice-part-1-23ffcc86326e)


Part Two: 


Principle 1 - Engage with wholes


Principle 2 - Evoke essence


Part Three: 


Principle 3 - Realise individual potential


Principle 4 - Development of mind and beings


Principle 5 - Work within nestedness


Part Four: 


Principle 6 - Laser focus to nodal


Principle 7 - Regenerate energy fields


(Due to Medium paywall, I am also sharing all of the articles,
Parts 1-4, here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12HWRFUbzmWpv4_k7JxLFgn7F99r8UG4o/view?usp=drive_link)


Carol refers to Alice Waters, chef and restauranteur who started
the Edible Schoolyard movement at Berkeley.


⁠⁠https://search.worldcat.org/title/Edible-Schoolyard-:-a-universal-idea/oclc/1280875278⁠⁠


About Carol:


For four decades, Carol has worked with great leaders
of successful businesses such as Google, DuPont, Intel, P&G,
and Seventh Generation, educating them to develop their people
and ensure a continuous stream of innovation that continually
deliver extraordinary results.


Carol is a founder and designer of ⁠⁠The Regenerative
Business Development Community⁠⁠ with lifetime members of
almost 500 members, meeting in locations around the world and now
online with leaders from multiple companies learning together in
bi-quarterly events as well as an Annual ⁠⁠Regenerative
Business Summit,⁠⁠ Carol is also a founder and designer
of The Regenerative ⁠⁠Change Agent Development community⁠⁠,
with members from three regions- Americas, EMEA, Deep Pacific
with over 30 events a year in person and online with regenerative
change agents learning about and creating change together.


Carol is the best-selling author of No More Gold Stars:
Regenerating Capacity to Think for Ourselves, ⁠⁠The
Regenerative Business⁠⁠: Redesign Work, Cultivate Human
Potential, Achieve Extraordinary Outcomes; ⁠⁠The Responsible
Entrepreneur⁠⁠: Four Game-Changing Archetypes for Founders,
Leaders, and Impact Investors, ⁠⁠The Responsible Business⁠⁠:
Reimagining Sustainability and Success;  and ⁠⁠No More
Feedback⁠⁠: Cultivate Consciousness at Work. 


Her books have won over 15 awards so far and are required reading
at leading business and management schools including
Harvard, Stanford, Haas Berkeley and MIT.


Social Links


LinkedIn - @carolsanfordkeynote -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolsanfordkeynote/


Instagram - @carolsanfordauthor -
https://www.instagram.com/carolsanfordauthor/