Building Bridges between Theories

The case of the Park’s creation by Ezechias Heringer, can fit both in Furtado’s (1978) Development theory, and also Csikszentmihalyi’s (1988) Systems Model. It can be argued that its immediate creation was fruit of a Development process, followed by a Systemic Creative Process. Or the other way around, being first a fruit of the Systems Model of Creativity, with new creations brought by Development. In this section we’ll address the touchpoints between the two theories, and how both can be seen on multiple examples of the case study, like the one mentioned above.

Let’s examine the first reflection, where the Park’s creation can be analyzed as an example of the Development process being built by both of generative force and an impulse to create new values (FURTADO, 1978). The Development process (FURTADO, 1978) developed by Heringer propelled the creation of new inventions, and values related to Development. The potential energy that was gathered due to the new institutions that were built in the Park, generated a surplus of resources that simultaneously constructed social life and made the creation of those new inventions possible.

And after its creation, the Systems Creative Process (CSIKSZENTMIHALYI, 1988) can also be seen through the execution of all of the following projects that were made to build its institutional structures and overall projects.

Likewise, the opposite movement can also be noted. It could be argued that the Park's creation is actually more relatable to the System's Model (CSIKSZENTMIHALYI, 1988), considering that it was made possible by a variation brought in by an individual who was validated by the institutions of the field surrounding him. And those institutions were composed of influential Gatekeepers who approved the construction of the Park, and this variation was then incorporated in the domain, and served as a reference point for the future generations of people who made the park what we know today.

And it was because of this first variation that the potential energy for the accumulation process was formed, therefore initiating the Development (FURTADO, 1988) process, which in turn propelled new values and became a generative force.

The point of exploring the two theoretical perspective is not to determine who came first in the Park's creation: if it was the fruit of Development (FURTADO, 1978) or a fruit of the Systems Model (CSIKSZENTMIHALYI, 1988). In either way, it is undeniable that their

100 perspectives complement each other, and elements of both can be detected in the Park's history, reaffirming once more how theory and real life can actually coexist.

Another key idea brought by the bridge between the Systems Model (CSIKSZENTMIHALYI, 1988) and Development (FURTADO, 1978) is how environmental education, and the Development process behind it, is able to incorporate new values in the domain, to fight against the insufficiency of accumulation. Besides, the Park is the perfect background for this movement to happen. It is mentioned multiple times by the UnB students who visited the Park, of how the nature in it and the Center’s facilities end up providing learning opportunities that they wouldn’t be able to experience in a traditional educational space. This reaffirms the importance of choosing the National Park and its ecosystem as the case study, for it embraces practically every aspect of both theories chosen.

"It is, therefore, important to highlight conservation of a biome as important not only from the economical point o view, but also cultural (since several local communities and traditional populations live there, in addition to dozens of indigenous peoples), and environmental, since it is a region with great potential for the production of commodities and relevant environmental goods that belong to the entire population. Brazilian society and its governments have, therefore, an essential role in defining the priorities in the political agendas so as to promote the valuing of the frat economic potential found in the Cerrado in a more sustainable fashion, especially its biodiversity and water resources. With this commitment in mind we will gave better conditions to defend the Cerrado and proserve it for future and present generations." - Bráulio Dias - Forest Biodiversity Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment (2012)

There are a lot of volunteers, and educators involved with informal learning institutions, that participate in the Teacher Formation Course. One of them is Educator X, participated in the Course, and now brings children from Estrutural ²¹ to visit the Park. During the interview with Interviewee 1, he was present in the Center, and ended up joining the conversation briefly. He reaffirmed the importance of Environmental Education, and how the Park is an amazing space to change people’s mentality.

The boys are the National Park's neighbours, but they don't know about its existence. None of their teachers explained to them that around Estrutural there's the National Park, that is one of the world's biggest urban parks. And then what happens? They use this vegetation to hunt, they burn it, to make room for some agriculture…

They don't have this love, nor understanding about the National Park.

They see the information that they get from the TV, that says

21 One of Brasília’s most violent neighbourhoods, that housed the biggest landfill in Latin America

101 Estrutural is Brasília's most violent place. That they are exactly this, they're violent and want to be violent. But when they come to the National Park, and are immersed with nature, the boys arrive here understanding that they are no longer residents of Brasília's most violent city - they are Brasília National Park's neighbours. (Educator X, during interview with Interviewee 1, 2019)

Os meninos eles são vizinhos do Parque Nacional, só que eles não sabem da existência do Parque Nacional. Nenhuma professora deles de ciências, de nada, explicou que em volta da Estrutural tem o Parque Nacional, que é um dos maiores parques urbanos do mundo.

E aí o que acontece? Eles usam essa mata para queimar, criar uma rocinha, para caçar... Então eles não têm esse amor e entendimento do Parque Nacional, entendeu? [...] Eles vão ver a informação que eles recebem da televisão, que fala que a Estrutural é o lugar mais violento de Brasília. Eles são isso, são violentos e querem ser violentos. Mas aí quando eles vêm até o Parque Nacional, e toma esse banho de natureza, os moleque chegam aqui com a cabeça entendendo que eles não são mais moradores da cidade mais violenta de Brasília - e sim são vizinhos do Parque Nacional de Brasília. (Educator X, during interview with Interviewee 1, 2019)

The creative variation of the A3M Project, was to provide UnB students with a different class style, in a space that spoke directly to the environmental concepts that were being taught. This movement within the Systems Model (CSIKSZENTMIHALYI, 1988) is also an example of creativity being used in its purest form, like Furtado (1978) intended, before the industrial capital put it under production’s service. The fact that it was acknowledged directly by the users of this variation (the students) only reaffirms the empirical veracity behind the bridge between the two theories.

Here is definitely better in terms of environment, and way more appropriate to develop ideology, (and also to have a more natural construction of it), than being stuck inside a classroom. (Student 1, 2018.1 video transcripts, 2018)

Com certeza, aqui é muito melhor em termos de ambiente, muito mais propício pra desenvolver tanto a ideologia, e ter uma construção mais natural, do que ficar preso dentro de uma sala de aula.

( Student 1, 2018.1 video transcripts, 2018)

Inside a classroom, you don't have the exact notion of what is this environment that is so full of life - the Cerrado. We've talked about scents, texture, when we were incited to look at the leafs and compare them… You can't do that inside a classroom. So it's something completely different, your perception of the environment, - and in our case, the class' object, that is the Cerrado - changes

102 completely. ( Student 4, 2018.1 video transcripts, 2018)

Dentro de uma sala de aula, você não tem tanta noção do que que é esse ambiente que é tão vivo, que é o Cerrado. A gente falou de cheiro, de textura, quando a gente foi instigado a olhar pras folhas e comparar... Isso não tem como fazer dentro de uma sala de aula.

Então é outra coisa, é completamente diferente, sua percepção do ambiente, e no caso da gente, sobre o objeto da aula que é o Cerrado, ela muda completamente. ( Student 4, 2018.1 video transcripts, 2018)

I thought this class was really good and dynamic, because we were able to do many things we couldn't do in a classroom space. This space here ends up creating several opportunities of learning.

( Student 3, 2018.1 video transcripts, 2018)

Eu achei muito bom e dinâmico essa aula, porque a gente conseguiu fazer várias coisas que a gente não conseguiria num espaço de aula. Esse espaço aqui ele acaba criando várias possibilidades de aprendizagem. ( Student 3, 2018.1 video transcripts, 2018)