Podcast series: Regenerative Pedagogy - Education for a sustainable future

Regenerative pedagogy is about education that not only transmits knowledge about sustainability, but also contributes to a mindset and skills with which students can actively work towards a healthier, more just world. How do teachers and students connect with sustainability in a way that goes beyond theoretical knowledge? What skills and insights are needed to really make an impact?

Together with researchers Aniek Draaisma and Wâtte Zijlstra, this Dutch podcast series explores the concept of regenerative pedagogy. Each episode follows a learning workshop in which teachers and researchers discover together how this approach can take shape within different courses.

What to expect

The first episode, Inner sustainability and transdisciplinarity, reflects on the first learning workshop that took place on 12 November 2024. In it, lecturers Wouter Reith (Pedagogy) and Carolijn van der Grinten (Business Administration) discuss how regenerative pedagogy helps students bring sustainability within their own sphere of influence.

Topics covered include:

• Inner sustainability - How do students develop a personal sense of sustainability and responsibility?
• Transdisciplinarity - How can different disciplines work together to address complex issues?
• Practical application - How do teachers integrate these principles into their lessons, regardless of the course?

The insights from this first podcast show that regenerative pedagogy is about more than just knowledge: it is also about awareness, empathy and developing a systemic view of the world.

What's next

A total of eight episodes will appear, each linked to a learning workshop. In doing so, the researchers build a library of working methods to integrate sustainability into the classroom from a regenerative perspective. Ultimately, this will culminate in a learning workshop on regenerative pedagogy, to be launched in mid-2026.

Want to be involved in the research? Then listen to the podcasts and visit the learning workshops. The next learning workshop will take place on 20 February 2025, with Dr Lonneke Frie (from the Sustainable Talent Development research group) as speaker on Flexpertise as an essential skill within sustainability transitions.

Follow the series

Stay up-to-date with the latest on regenerative pedagogy through our podcast series (this series is in Dutch):

Regenerative Pedagogy | Podcast on Spotify

Or contact:

Wâtte Zijlstra, senior researcher at Centre of Expertise Global and Inclusive Learning via [email protected]. 

Aniek Draaisma, researcher at Centre of Expertise Mission Zero via [email protected].