Learning Materials & Tools

Playback theatre (PT) is a tool to share personal stories that are performed by PT actors. Audience and stage are at the same level and the link between them is the conductor/facilitator who creates a safe/welcoming atmosphere and invites people to share their stories. Main goal of PT is building community but is can be used also with other aims (therapeutical, problem solving, arising conciousness about a particular issue and so forth).

Teachers, designing and preparing a course, may find these resources helpful: Andy Goldring, UK, shares a Checklist for things to prepare / think about for a course (download the PDF), including:

Why are patterns important?

• They are easy to remember.
• They are portable and so can be used anywhere.
• They are universal so they fit changing circumstances.
• They are strong because they bind their elements together ('geodesic strength', tesselation).

Patterns can be physical, behavioural or structural. Other ideas: A pattern I use well: A pattern I would like to change: Some Permaculture patterns worth remembering:

This is a questionnaire for students to self-assess their learning styles. Contributed by Aranya and developed by Victoria Chislett

VAK Learning Styles Self-Assessment Questionnaire

Circle or tick the answer that most represents how you generally behave.

(It’s best to complete the questionnaire before reading the accompanying explanation.)

1. When I operate new equipment I generally:

1. read the instructions first

Enseñando un juego llamado “Linea de recursos”. Un resumen de la micro-lección de Mirka, por Andrew Zionts  La planificación de la lección es: Objetivos

by Joel Rosenberg 

Context:  I've used this method with master level art & design & architecture students when running an intensive one week workshop called "Foraging and Gardening in the City" in Helsinki, Finland 2011-2013. This method can be used on a PDC too.

Duration: Part I. 30min. + Part II. 5min./student (12 students = 60min.) 

Description: Before the session the teacher selects a number of books that she/he thinks could be helpful for the students.

A presentation used as elevator pitch for audiences new to permaculture. File: Permacultuur in het kort 1 Language: Dutch Author: Leo Bakx Aardwerk, 2010 (CC: BY-SA) Time: 15 - 30 minutes plus Q&A time. Preceded or followed by a practical activity indoors or outdoors. Finished by pot-luck lunch, morning/afternoon tea or dinner - whatever is appropriate. Can be used as on-screen presentation or printed on paper and used as flip-over.

ETP Spain Session with Rakesh Rootsman Rak delivered on 25 Sept 2013. 

The video shown below capturing this session was shot and edited by Mihail Kossev. 

P108 in the Permaculture Teachers Guide has a full class plan for this exercise.

Time needed: Best as a one-hour session, possibly longer. It can be flexible to fit the time available.

This activity can sit in different sessions. This is usually one of the first sessions on a PDC. Good to use to introduce principles and systems in a non-threatening way.

Preparation – A large sheet of paper folded in half with a list of elements listed on the left hand and right hand side of the sheet. It is good to have cartoon pictures of the elements as well as the text.

Opening question: The teacher asks if the students know the ethics of permaculture, and if they can explain what they mean for them. Afterwards, the teacher summarises the main points, and can add some comments as appropriate.