The Inkpot,
Scredington, Lincolnshire

The world is waking up to climate change and other effects of unsustainable growth. We know permaculture has answers, so if you've ever wanted to inspire others but haven't had the confidence this course is for you. This course is suitable for all abilities: both apprentice & experienced teachers & also for those who have just completed their Permaculture Design course (PDC). During the course we will be focusing on the tools & techniques for teaching & facilitating permaculture learning & the practicalities of convening & running courses. We won't be revisiting the topics on a PDC in any depth and so it is recommended that if your permaculture knowledge is a bit rusty that you do some preparatory background reading before the course. 

The ToT will concentrate on permaculture training but the techniques covered can be applied to any other subject and hence the course would be valuable for any teacher wanting to expand their creative teaching techniques. The course will be lively and interactive on all levels using plenty of diversity in teaching styles. We intend to use the course as a working example of how much can be achieved in a 6 day course using accelerated learning techniques. We will be looking at the whole process of running a course – from finding a venue & course publicity to evaluation & follow up.

We aim to empower people to realise their own skills as facilitators and will be using methods for building confidence of the participants throughout. This will culminate in each participant giving a micro-teach to put into practice what they have learned. Our aim is to support participants on their teaching career beyond the ToT. There will be opportunities for apprentice teaching with the Designed Visions team on PDCs, and we would be willing to come and teach on introductory and full permaculture courses that participants convene in their local area.

Subjects covered:

Setting training objectives ~ Training design
Teaching methods ~ Preparing training sessions
Training tools ~ Training needs assessment
Games & energisers ~ Facilitation skills
Micro-session preparation ~ Presentation skills
Rapport building ~ Convening courses
Course design ~ Learning methods
Assessment & evaluation ~ Follow up

Investment:

Sliding scale - depending upon income: £475 (concessionary places limited to three),
£595 (low waged - under 15K/year), £665 (waged), £795 (organisations).
The fee will include camping, all food, tuition, course materials, certificate and end of course resources DVD.

There may also be the option to gain a PTLLS qualification as part of this course. If this is possible it will incur an additional accreditation fee in the region of £150 (we're still clarifying the exact cost). Please let us know when you book if this is of interest to you.

Booking:

To reserve your place, simply download the relevant version of the course booking form
(see links below), fill it in & return to us with a £150 deposit payment
(full details of how to do this are on the form).

For more information and booking please contact:
Mel: 01326 251302 / 07768 193848 or email

One Participant's Impressions and Reflections:

On the first day, we were asked to draw a river journey of what had brought us here, to this Training of Permaculture Teacher’s Course. Thinking back, I remembered those first moments years ago when the seed was planted in my brain : « permaculture ». « Perma-what » ? It took a little while for these first whispers of the word to take root and lead me on an active search to discover more. After all, seeds often need to over-winter and feel the bite of frost for their husks to crack. When the right conditions presented themselves – soft spring rains, growing sun – permaculture took root in my plans and I signed up for the Design Certificate course. This experience provided the soil, the elements, and the climate for the seed to grow. By the end of the course we - the participants - had bloomed into permies! Perhaps we could be likened to dandelions? Multifunctional and thus ready to care for the earth; medicinal and thus ready to care for its people; comestible and thus ready to share our food (belly and soul food) fairly with the world. My urge to find creative solutions and to live more harmoniously with the world had found the grounds in which to grow.

Then came the time for applying, questioning, dialoguing, investigating, furthering, and deepening what I’d learned in the PDC. The blossom lived its course under the turning gaze of sun and stars, eventually ripening into seed. After the pure expression of the flower, plants give back to life through fruit and seeds; thus birthed the desire to share permaculture, to spread the word, to teach.

In comes the Training of Teachers course. This course marks a turning point in a permie’s journey: teaching is one of the ways that we move out of our personal sphere and reach out to the world, giving to others what has so generously been given to us. The Training of Teachers course plays a crucial role in this transition, for those of us who decide that teaching is something we would like to do. Firstly, in the course we are taught tips on how to best prepare the soil and create the right conditions for the seeds we spread to take root and grow: we are given tools to assess training needs, design the course, prepare the training sessions, create positive learning environments, lead action learning guilds, facilitate skillfully, evaluate the course, run practicals, etc… All of this is done by leading through example: the lessons are taught in a way that inspires and accelerates learning; diverse teaching methods are used and presented throughout; the principles of permaculture are put into action through the very structure of the course planning and we are given food for thought not so much through textbooks but through experience.

What else does a flower need for it to turn to seed? Sun and warmth! Although the rain decided to chaperone us along most of our visit, the openness of the welcome, the beauty of the site, the hearty goodness of the food, and the rich interactions between new friends all created the warmth needed for the ripening process. But perhaps most importantly, the course provided the boost in confidence needed for our seeds to let go and take flight in the wind. Many of us arrived with a desire to feel more confident and comfortable teaching. Faced with the challenge of teaching 2 micro-sessions, we were able to confront our fears, feel the excitement, take pleasure in teaching, learn from our mistakes, and hear from our peers: “You’re ready! Go for it.” Everything we learned and absorbed throughout the week had its opportunity to come to life. I was happily surprised to see that I’d been given the tools to turn 2-D theoretical knowledge on paper into a 3-D interactive and lively presentation. How much fun! This course and its teachers created the gust of wind to make our seeds fly. This gust of inspiration also comes from the “electric” network of peers that is created: connections are created, ideas exchanged, neurons activated, plans made, intentions set. All of a sudden we are no longer alone with our hopes, but webbed into a community of support and exchange.

The week naturally found its closing just as it had its beginning. With a closing ceremony - a “whoosh” of encouragement to send us off on our paths - our seed-heads dispersed through the air as we parted ways. When we will put into practice our intentions, who knows what each seed we plant will end up looking like. With such diversity of skills and interests amongst the participants, each seed we plant will find its own expression, suited to its community and to its circumstance. After all, it is about relative location: the right plant in the right place, the right seed in the right soil! Wherever we end up, I’m sure a message we all take with us is: spread the word, be the difference, be the change. Of course not all of my fears have been dispelled, but if teaching places us on the edge between fear and confidence, I embrace this edge: that place of highest vulnerability, dynamism, change, diversity, and productivity. On one of the last days of the course we were asked to draw a river journey of where we wanted to go as permaculturalists. I can’t help but think the journey will take us to this edge and I am grateful for this. May it be fruitful.