European biodynamic trainers & teachers workshop 2022

Learning Biodynamics as a path of transformation

18th - 19th November 2022 in Dornach, Switzerland

Biodynamic agriculture changes the place, and it changes the people.

But how do we teach biodynamically as trainers or teachers? We receive questions from people who want to learn agriculture or from people who want to transform their farm. The learning process should be an opportunity for the student to grow, to acquire and deepen skills, to develop further – a path of transformation. As trainers, we are needed as experts, as facilitators, as empathic listeners, as guides, as companions. We listen to the participants, share knowledge and experience, invite them to exercise, change perspectives when we approach a question through art, eurythmy or through an observation exercise.

Read the course reports of the four workshops here and discover the online world map of biodynamic training initiatives (to be updated soon):

With this workshop, we would like to build on your concrete experiences as a trainer or teacher and reflect on our different training practices. Based on which moments do you lead your trainings? What inspires yourself? 

Being connected for our goals in biodynamics, it would be wonderful if the exchange of experiences becomes a pool of experiences in which everyone can get inspiration for future trainings. In addition, we would like to enter the common experience through moments of meditation and nature awareness exercises and thereby gather new strength for ourselves and our movement.

 

When?
18 - 19 November 2022

Who?
Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum &
Biodynamic Federation-Demeter International with many biodynamic trainer and teacher

Where?
Goetheanum 
Rüttiweg 45
4143 Dornach/Schweiz

Friday - 18 November 2022

09:30 – 10:00  Welcome
10:00 – 12:00  Introduction, Background and Meeting each other
  • Who are you? Who am I?
  • What do you do?  What´s new?
  • What challenges you? What challenges me?
  • What currently moves us as trainers or as an initiative?
  • What is your motivation for being here? Do you have a burning question?
12:00 – 13:30   Lunch
13:30 – 15:00  Path of transformation I: Broaden once own view, practical action
  • Inspiring insights: Voices from 3 initiatives
  • Exercise in nature observation
15:00 – 15:30  Short break
15:30 – 17:00  Principles of Biodynamic Training I: Richness emerging from many experiences; interactive session
  1. Working with farmers:
    How does the farm become a source of inspiration for trainings? Why is it so effective?
  2. Visiting a farm - farm walk:
    What can we learn from farm walks? What makes a farm visit inspiring?
  3. Adressing the content of the training to the group and the individual needs
    What helps us to support participants on their path?
  4. The heart in the focus - perceiving nature realms:
    How to train our skills for the observation of animals, soil and plants, landscape and weather....?
  5. Changing the perspective – integrating arts:
    How do I experience art and eurythmy in trainings? How do I integrate art? What does it mean to learn in an artistic way?
  6. Science experimental results - individual experiences:
    How can we include "Science and statistics" in our trainings? How do we connect the scientific results to the richness of the participants experiences?
  7. Reading exercises: Anthroposophy and the Agricultural Course
    How can we integrate the texts of Rudolf Steiner? How to study Anthropsophy?
  8. Online trainings:
    What do you get out of it? What make them fruitful? What do I learn as a facilitator/lecturer?
  9. Further topics
17:00 – 17:45  Harvest of the day: Reflection and Closing
 
17:45 – 19:00Individual break or time for networking
19:00 – 22:00Dinner together in Arlesheim

 

Saturday - 19 November 2022

08:30 – 10:00  Path of transformation II: Broaden once own view, practical actions
  • Harvest of the night
  • Meditation exercise
  • Inspiring insights: Voices from 3 initiatives
10:00 – 10:30  Short break
10:30 – 12:00  Principles of Biodynamic Training II: Deepening and developing; interactive session
  1. Working with farmers:
    How does the farm become a source of inspiration for trainings? Why is it so effective?
  2. Visiting a farm - farm walk:
    What can we learn from farm walks? What makes a farm visit inspiring?
  3. Adressing the content of the training, the training group and individual needs
    What helps us to support participants on their path?
  4. The heart in the focus - perceiving nature realms:
    How to train our skills for the observation of animals, soil and plants, landscape and weather....?
  5. Changing the perspective – integrating arts:
    How do I experience art and eurythmy in trainings? How do I integrate art? What does it mean to learn in an artistic way?
  6. Science and statistics – experimental results - individual experiences:
    How can we include "Science and statistics" in our trainings? How do we connect the scientific results to the richness of the participants experiences?
  7. Reading exercises: Anthroposophy and the Agricultural Course
    How can we integrate the texts of Rudolf Steiner? How to study Anthropsophy?
  8. Online trainings:
    What do you get out of it? What make them fruitful? What do I learn as a facilitator/lecturer?
  9. Further topics
12:00 – 13:30   Lunch
13:30 – 15:30   Harvest and seeds of the workshop
 

________________________

We continue online and share our insights and experiences with the worldwide biodynamic trainer and teacher community

Thursday - 24 November 2022

13:30 – 15:30   Online trainer meeting of the European biodynamic trainer and teacher workshop

 

Voices from biodynamic initiatives

Ansgar Vortmann, Landbauschule Bodensee, Germany

Jirka Prachar, Farmářská škola, Czech republic

Jolanda Gämperli, Manuela Just, Sara Keller, Biodynamische Ausbildung Schweiz in Rheinau, Switzerland

Rasa Ciriene, Lithuania

Simone Helmle (Landbauschule Bodensee)

Reto Ingold (Wanderschule)

Maja Kolar (GaiaMaia/ Demeter Slovenija and Biotechnical School Naklo)

Jean-Michel Florin (MABD & Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum)

Sarah Sommer (Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum)

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or uncertainties

Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum
Sarah Sommer
sarah.sommernoSpam@goetheanum.ch