Seven Pathways to Earth Education: Lessons from the Forest Residency

We structured the first residency of the EEF Fellowship Cohort 4 around seven core themes, which highlight YouCAN's approach to Earth Education. We offer a window into these pathways—each is a vital strand of learning within the ecosystem.

1. Conservation and Using Films for Education

How do films cause shifts in attitude and behaviour and bring about shifts in policies and actions? With lectures and interactions with conservation filmmaker Shekar Dattatri, fellows explore the power of storytelling in environmental and conservation education.

We used tools like lectures, film screenings and reflective conversations to explain how visual storytelling can communicate urgency and set the basis for policy change. At its core, this theme made conservation more personal and highlighted the need for action-driven learning.

2. Place-Based Learning in Education

Place-based learning was an ongoing theme during our residency program. Through the use of immersive exercises and non-linear thinking activities, fellows were able to identify learning activities and solutions.  Place-based learning is not just about learning in-nature, it is learning-with nature.

‘River as teacher: Fellows connect deeply with the landscape through poetry and presence, guided by Srivi Kalyan in a powerful place-based learning experience.’

3. Leadership in Education Practice

Our fellows explored leadership from a values perspective. The fellows were led through a journey to understand the ‘Story of Us’ and how collectively we moved from narrating personal stories to building a collective one—shifting from “Me” to “Us.”. Through other activities like dilemma-based teamwork and value cards, they examined the need for leading with empathy and acting with integrity.

They left with the encouragement that leaders are not authority figures but rather learning facilitators and community seekers.

4. Urban Wild Spaces

Our Fellow Hareesha exploring urban gardening during Kush Sethi's session

Urban ecologist Kush Sethi helped fellows understand cities as places where ecology and ecological education can flourish. Through observational walks and idea-pitching sessions, fellows designed projects that can transform everyday urban areas into wild learning spaces. The philosophy our fellows left with was that nature does not end at specific boundaries, and with creativity we can transform our cities and urban spaces into classrooms for sustainable learning.

5. Bringing Nature and SEL into the Classroom

How do we connect students emotionally with the Earth? This theme brought forth nature and socio-emotional learning within the conversation. Frameworks and Pedagogies in Nature-education were introduced and discussed- led by the Nature Classrooms team. Activities like the Bird Survivor Game and resource-based practical lesson planning helped understand how different tools and methods can be used to implement nature-learning in the classroom.

Another key focus was on how SEL elements like care and empathy can be naturally incorporated into science and environmental lessons. The core focus of this approach: SEL is not separate from environmental or conservation education. The more the fellow can connect the child to their feelings, the more we can connect them to caring for the planet.

6. Addressing Wicked Problems in Nature & Conservation Education

There are several nature and conservation problems with multiple causes and no simple or single solution. Fellows explored some of these wicked problems through climate recipes, the Waste Museum model, and roleplay in a Citizen Jury. Sessions led by the Socratus team introduced systems thinking, encouraging fellows to go beyond symptoms and look at structures, mindsets, and patterns. Through these activities, the fellows learnt that while it is not always possible to fix problems, they can create opportunities for dialogue and experimentation.

7. Self-reflection— What Brought Them to Sharavathi?

The significance of self-reflection was emphasized throughout the entire program. The trip commenced and concluded with oneself. Fellows investigated their motivations, past experiences, and relationships with nature by participating in the Sanctity Circle, blindfolded walks, and Story of Self exercises. Reflection was not an accessory; it was indispensable to their learning.

Together, these seven pathways offer a powerful and interconnected approach to Earth Education—rooted in empathy, action, creativity, and place. Each theme is not isolated but part of a larger ecosystem of learning, where self-reflection fuels leadership, films inspire action, and cities become classrooms.

As fellows return to their communities, they carry with them more than just new tools—they carry new ways of seeing, sensing, and shaping the world.

Whether it’s leading a film screening followed by a values-based dialogue, designing local lessons rooted in their landscape, or guiding students to reflect on their relationship with nature, each fellow now has a toolkit to create meaningful, locally relevant learning experiences.

These pathways are not a fixed curriculum, but living examples of how education can grow from the ground up—personal, place-based, and full of possibility.

Article by Aarathi Subramaniam (YouCAN Team)

Keywords: Earth Education, Environmental Education, Place-Based Learning, Conservation Education, Films in Education, Educational Leadership, Urban Wild Spaces, Nature and SEL, Wicked Problems, Systems Thinking, Self-Reflection, Teacher Training, Experiential Learning, Sustainability Education, Learning with Nature