dr. VC (Valentina) Tassone

“What might it mean to live attentively with one another within a more-than-human world? How do we navigate socio-ecological challenges while recognising the relationships that shape and sustain life? And in what ways can education cultivate more participatory, ethical, and relational ways of knowing and living together?”

Questions such as these guide my work as an Associate Professor exploring relational education in a more-than-human world. Drawing on an interdisciplinary background spanning environmental, sustainability, education and learning sciences, I investigate how sustainability education can cultivate attentive and respons-able ways of relating across humans and non-humans. Particular attention is given to transdisciplinary, emotion-inclusive, and transformative approaches to educational design, teaching, and learning.

My work is primarily grounded in relational humanist and constructivist perspectives, including participatory, reflexive, and arts-based approaches, while also engaging posthumanist perspectives that challenge human-centred understandings of learning and sustainability. Integrating theory and practice is central to this work, which is situated across (higher) education, communities, transdisciplinary settings, and in the context of transnational collaborative projects such as LOESS and More-than-Human.

Courses developed, coordinated, and taught include “Empowerment in Sustainability,” “Educational Design and Teaching for Sustainability,” and the transdisciplinary-oriented “Academic Consultancy Training”. Reflexive and experiential approaches are central to this work, inviting students to engage with matters of concern and care through, for example, artistic expressions and transdisciplinary projects. My educational approach has been recognised with three Wageningen University Excellent Education Awards. I also contribute to broader educational innovation, e.g. through our open access More-than-Human teaching and learning video series.

I warmly welcome connections with PhD candidates, researchers, and educators who share related interests. You can reach me at valentina.tassone@wur.nl

Current PhD and Postdoctoral Supervision

• “Integrating Ethics in Climate Change Education.” Thijs Loonstra.
• “Agency in Transdisciplinary Learning for Sustainability in Higher Education.” Liu Weiwei.
• “Transformative Living Labs as Powerful Learning Spaces.” Marlies van der Wee.
• “Life Affirming Higher Professional Education.” Saskia Weijzen.
• “Creating Sustainable Food Cultures in Schools through the Whole School Approach.” Maria Neocleous Maliotou.
• “Embedding Sustainability in Higher Engineering Education through Teacher Professionalization.” Caroline Vonk.
• “Science Communication for Sustainability and Soil Education.” Postdoc dr. Cindy Quik.