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More Nature Deeper Education symposium - Omnia 8th April 2025
On the 8th of April more than 150 teachers, students, educational experts and policy makers gathered from all over the Netherlands to explore the fundamental role of meaningful contact with nature in education, and how this can be translated into educational interventions in all kinds of educational settings.
Organized by the ELS eNaBlS project-team in close collaboration with NatureCollege Foundation and supporting partners, The More Nature Deeper Education symposium at Omnia saw a rich mix of talks, interactions and experiences showcasing nature-inclusive learning methods.The day was opened by creating a storm together, which went around the room several times. The keynote speakers were interrupted by sounds of non-human beings: at the end of the day, we found out who could identify them all. In the meanwhile, Arita Baaijens shared wisdom from her travels, on indigenous ways of educating children with the land and the learning that tends to get lost in modern schools. In conversation with special chair Maria Tengö, it was explored how science is slowly catching up to be inclusive of indigenous knowledge, and becoming aware of the role of nature in education. Several speakers then introduced initiatives that make nature-inclusive education concrete and tangible, sharing the impact of this type of education on students (by Evita Laheij and Yoram de Vos), interventions in highschool and primary education (presented by respectively Ella Vingerling and Vincent v.d. Veen), as well as exploring what teachers need to know in order to teach nature-inclusively (Louise v.d. Stok, Lian Kasper and Francesca Leuccipresenting lessons from the WUR Teacher Training in Nature-inclusive Teaching by TLC). In the afternoon, a wide array of practical and dialogue sessions for all types of education was interchanged with a Deep Time walk through the history of life on earth, designed as a walk around the pond behind Gaia (by artist Erik Woltmeijer). This impressive walk lead to reflections on the close interrelatedness of all life, on the impact of human beings on earth, and on the choices we wish to make collectively and as individuals going forward. Specifically and in closing, we looked at the transitions our education would benefit from to best serve the coming generations of learners at WU and beyond.
Links: eNaBlS Living Lab on Nature-inclusive Education: https://www.wur.nl/en/project/enabls-living-lab.htm