Facilitator's Introduction to Session 3

Tony Dorcey

 

QUESTION 3

What will be the critical skills required of planners over the next decade?

 

Summary Comments

  1. Planners are seen as needing to be multiskilled, more than ever before. The breadth and diversity of skills is reflected in Leonie's five literacies (TAMED: Technical, Analytical, Multicultural, Ecological and Design)
  2. Generic capabilities are central: Analysis, synthesis, criticism, problem solving, integration, judgement
  3. Planning research methods and tools need to include varied quantitative and qualitative techniques including both statistical and mathematical reasoning
  4. Communications and process skills are critical for facilitating interactions among highly diverse individuals and knowledges (interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity); using oral, graphic and written forms; employing negotiation, facilitation and mediation techniques; capable of team-building, teamwork, relationship building, and networking; and adept in the use of IT.
  5. Organizational development, management and leadership skills are essential.

 

Breakout Questions

  1. What do students need to know to have basic literacy in techniques and related skills? What and how much understanding is necessary for an initial skill set?
  2. How are skills best taught and learned?

 

 

QUESTION 4

What approaches to planning education do you see becoming more important over the next decade?

 

Summary Comments

 

  1. The focus should be on learning for planning practice, integrating theory and practice, and practicing inter- and trans-disciplinarity.
  2. The approaches should be applied, hands-on, practical, real world and utilize studios, workshops, practicums, include group/team projects and case and field studies in the community, and exploit learning-by-doing and cooperative learning.
  3. Continuing professional development, career-long learning and meeting the needs of non-traditional students will require programs that are short/intensive, conveniently scheduled for evenings/weekends, supplemented by distance learning and mid-career options.
  4. Practitioners should be more fully involved as instructors, mentors/coaches, "practitioners-in-residence", and new professoriate.

 

Breakout Questions

  1. How can greater involvement of practitioners be facilitated?
  2. What needs to be done to ladder career-long learning opportunities?