Education is richer for all involved if the more-than-human-world is actively engaged with, listened to, and taken seriously. At one level this touchstone seems easy to understand and to put into practice. The claim is that the natural world is a vibrant, active, agential place that is worth listening to and learning from. Accepting this claim means that educators will spend more time outdoors and access different pedagogical possibilities.
However, this touchstone also has implications for what knowledge is and how learning happens. If nature is embraced as co-teacher then the human is de-centered and learning becomes a shared project that is no longer ever complete or human-based.
With this discussion as background, consider the question:
How did my practice today invite and provide space for the natural world to be present as a co-teacher? And what further steps might I take to do so?