Teaching Permaculture Creatively

Teaching Permaculture Creatively:

An Intensive Professional Permaculture Teacher Training Course

with Dave Jacke, Kay Cafasso, Alisha Mai Frank, Chris Jackson, and Ethan Roland

NOTE: This course has a prerequisite.  Applicants must have received a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC).

When: March 19–28, 2010

Where: Audubon Center of the North Woods, Sandstone, Minnesota (lodging in the Center's Schwyzer Lodge and Lowry Lodge, vegan/vegetarian/allergy diets accommodated)

Nonrefundable Application Fee: $25 (deducted from total course fee if you are accepted)

Course Fee:  Sliding Scale $1,300 - $1,700 (includes tuition, room and board); some partial scholarships may be available.

Given that events make the best teachers, it follows that our role as educators is to design learning events.  In this course, we will explore how to create events that teach permaculture, applying ecological principles and processes to the design of permaculture workshops, courses, and other experiences. 

Learn how to create effective learning environments based on quick assessments of students and their learning modalities, eight intelligences, and other niche characteristics.  Each student in this course will design and run short classes and exercises, speak in public, plan and budget for an event, and coteach a one day permaculture workshop at course end.  What do whole learning systems look, feel and sound like?  Come find out!  The best way to learn is to do, and to have fun doing it!  Join us! 

Limited to 27 certified permaculture design course graduates; pre-course preparation required.

Course objectives:

• Participants experience and develop the complete suite of skills needed to begin successfully teaching short permaculture workshops and other events on their own.
• Participants leave able to contribute significantly to teaching certified permaculture courses under the mentorship of an experienced permaculture teacher.
• Participants experience taking the seat of the teacher multiple times during the course in a variety of settings, both within the course and in a public venue.  We all grasp the essence and significant details of what it means to create effective learning environments and effective learning events.  

• Participants come prepared to collaboratively co-create the teacher training course and teach a one day public permaculture workshop (specific requests for how to prepare will be laid out after acceptance into the program).
• Participants collaborate to create a community of learning teachers and teaching learners:
  • we cocreate a safe, supportive, fun, healthy, and whole learning environment;
  • we support each other to take risks, share ourselves, grow deeply, move through edges and perceived restrictions, explore new ideas, and try new teaching styles and approaches;
  • we share and constructively evaluate each others’ work;
  • we cooperatively develop shared resources for the larger permaculture teaching community.
• Participants clarify, articulate, and evolve their beliefs about what a teacher is and what is their teaching pedagogy.  We all experience putting that pedagogy into practice consciously.  We all have the opportunity to deprogram beliefs that inhibit our effectiveness as teachers and learners.
• We experience all of the above through learning events and experiences that express, embody, and demonstrate the principles of permaculture design in action.
• We have a total blast doing all of the above.

The Application Process

To apply, you will need to send a list of items (including a $25 application fee) to PRI Cold Climate.  Some of the information is optional, but the more you offer the better we will get to know you.

We prefer to receive applications electronically so please send your doc(s) in PDF or Microsoft Word format (Macintosh compatible preferred) to comcoord@pricoldclimate.org.

We must receive your application fee before we can review your application. You can pay online with a credit card by clicking on the "Add to Order" button below. If you prefer to send a check, please mail your check for $25 payable to PRI Cold Climate to:

We will forward complete applications to the teaching team for review.  Applications will be accepted on a rolling admissions basis until the course reaches its maximum enrollment of 27 teacher participants (yes, you are already a teacher, believe it or not!). 

There has been strong interest in this course, so to ensure you have a place get your application in as soon and as completely as possible.

Your Application

Please include the following list of documents in your application. Be sure that your name and contact info are printed on all pages. Your application will not be reviewed until it is complete.

• Brief answers to these essay questions.
• A resume or draft resume, ideally one that presents you as a teacher of permaculture, listing experiences and skills relevant to this role, and includes your full contact information.
• If the above leaves out significant or important background/life history/skills, please also include this information either within the resume or separately.
• A copy of your Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC). If necessary, a letter from the PDC course teacher will suffice. Contact us for alternative documentation.
• Contact information for three references.  We don't need a letter from them, just their name, phone, email, and relationship to you. Ideally, these will not include family members or life partners.
• To apply for a scholarship, please read this and include the additional requested information with your course application.

We look forward to learning more about you!

Questions? Contact Evelyn at comcoord@pricoldclimate.org.