This afternoon I presented some ideas about social learning in relation to transformative, transboundary, transgressive, transdisciplinary and, indeed, just to have another ‘T’, transcendental learning, here in Hanoi where I currently am. Tuan organized the seminar and invited his team, including PhD students and highly esteemed professors likeProf Nguyen Hoang Tri – President of the Vietnamese Man and Biosphere programme and Director of the Center for Environmental Research and Education. Also present were people from the Center for Eco-Community Development.

After my presentation we talked about the case studies a bit – what became clear that we need to develop a little more guidance still about the nature of the case studies, indicators or land-posts that might signify change, transition, transformation, transgression etc (and perhaps at different levels), a somewhat agreed upon methodological framework, some suggestions about what and who constitute a ‘research team’ with the different research roles of all actors involved, some kind of sequence of interventions/workshops and ideas about facilitation.  All this without being prescriptive or it becoming a straightjacket and killing space for emergence, etc.Some kine of ‘ template’ (not sure whether that is the right word) may be helpful.

It was wonderful having this kid of a kick-off seminar here in Hanoi – which I was able t contribute to thanks to another Wageningen U supported project here on competence based higher agricultural education which we were finishing here as well.