Nature inclusive teaching Community of practice

This community of practice for nature inclusive teachers is meant to support educators at WUR to learn about and practice with nature inclusive methods. Some of the activities are single events open to anyone who is interested, other activities are meant as design sessions/intervision for those who have followed the one of the teacher trainings on nature inclusive education; Onboarding in nature inclusive education or Emotions in the classroom.
Some events are organised as Inspiration Lunch workshops. You can register for those through a separate link.

Below you can find a description of all activities.

1. Learning Design Studio

The learning design studio is a series of 4 meetings in which people learn with and from others, supporting each other in their design of nature inclusive teaching methods as ‘critical friends’. To ensure professional learning, and go beyond ‘a nice exchange’ about your respective educational practices, we will structure the meetings quite strictly, to make sure everyone can contribute, and to also make sure to work towards a concrete outcome that everyone can directly use in their own teaching practice.  
The meetings are not without obligation. There is no peer learning without peers. We expect your commitment to attend all 4 meetings. You can miss one meeting for a good reason, but we do expect you to then do a replacement assignment. This series is meant for teachers who participated in teacher training on Nature-inclusive education or Emotions in the Classroom.

Dates: Tuesdays 11/11/25, 01/13/26, 03/17/26 & 05/19/26, from 15.00 - 17.00.

2. Outdoor ecudation marathon (More Nature Deeper Education): 

• When: 7 April; early morning until late in the evening
• What? An outdoor education marathon, and the official opening of New Outdoor Classrooms on campus during lunch: 12.30-13.30
• Why? Because it’s national outdoor education day! We take this opportunity to showcase all different kinds of outdoor learning in an accessible manner. Such as interactive workshops, traditional lectures, stories, campus walks, educational games and more! 
• Where? The activities take place in three places that function as outdoor classrooms on campus.
• For whom? Accessible for staff and students of WUR but also citizens of Wageningen. We are open to people who want to participate all day to people who can only participate in one short workshop By whom? The day is organized by the Living Lab NIE. The workshops are given by teachers and other staff from WUR.
• Please find more information and register for the event here 

3. Earth Day

Have you ever celebrated Earth Day? On  22nd of April it's Earth Day, a day to celebrate life on earth and share a moment of gratitude that so many life forms support our daily lives. During lunchtime on campus, take a moment away from your desk for a celebratory moment to come together as WUR community: staff, students and visitors, to celebrate and pay respect to life in all its forms. Everyone is welcome, save the date!

Date: 22 April 12.30 - 13.30 

4. In-depth day in the forest 

This will be a day in the Forest with Jurjen Annen (Bosbeweging): Wageningen University is surrounded by beautiful forests. During this day-workshop we explore the educational potential of the great outdoors with a master of outdoor living and primitive skills: Jurjen Annen. His organisation, Bosbeweging, has many years of experience in inviting people closer te nature, in practical, playful, intimate and profound ways. In this dayworkshop you are mainly invited to experience the methods yourself, to inspire a deeper understanding of what the connection with the forest can mean for you personally, and how that can inspire your teaching. Date in May 2026 t.b.a.
 

5. Deep time walk

The Deep Time Walk is an insightful, transformative walk through the history of the Earth. Simon v.d. Els will guide us on a walk through the history of planet earth, in which each step represents 1 million years. Walking through time, the long evolutionary path that led to the human species and the world as it is now becomes impressively tangible. A teaching method allowing for fundamental reflections on who we are and who we want to be in this time. The walk takes about 3 hours and starts from Wageningse berg. 

*New date(e) will be scheduled in 2026

Target group

We welcome all WUR education staff who are excited to implement nature inclusive methods in their teaching and/or interaction with students. (Teachers, study advisors, programme committee members)

Literature

This community is part of a series that will allow you to deepen your understanding of and ability to apply nature-inclusive methods. Full series:

• Onboarding in nature inclusive education and worldviews regarding human-nature relations. Consisting of self-study and several moments of exchange and reflection
• Care in the classroom: supporting students in social-environmental responsibility and anxiety
• Community of practice activities: course & curriculum design workshop on the translation of the learning from earlier models into course and/or curriculum design.

These modules have been developed and will be co-taught in collaboration between NatureCollege foundation WUR Teaching and Learning Centre

Costs

Participation is free for Wageningen University & Research staff involved in teaching in a Wageningen University Degree programme.

Cancellation

We consider registration as final. When cancelled within three weeks before the course activities start, your chair group will be charged all costs of your subscription (€350,-).
If there are less than 6 participants in the course, the Teaching and Learning Centre may cancel the course and notify you at the latest 2 weeks before the start of the course.