A Kickstart for Interdisciplinary Connection
It all began when Mario, who was relatively new to Vrije Universiteit at the time, applied for the ASI Seed Money Grant for the “Evolving Canvas” project, an initiative he co-led alongside Piman van Tongeren and Marije Schaafsma. This grant provided a vital kickstart, allowing him to look beyond his own department to meet partners and colleagues across VU and beyond.
This same project also put Mario in contact with Dr. Karen Verduijn and her existing reading club on ecological pedagogy. This informal gathering of minds eventually transformed into the cohesive group we now know as Plato’s Garden, which has now been officially recognized with this award! The Plato’s Garden consists of a truly interdisciplinary team including the members from other faculties Dr. Jessy la Faille, Dr. Katinka Quintelier, Dr. Sjoerd Kluiving, Dr. Serbia Lage Arias, Dr. Wouter Buursma, Dr. Jaro Pichel, Dr. Anders Schinkel and Scott Dalby.
Putting Theory into Practice
The insights gained from these early collaborations were immediately applied to Mario’s own Honors course, “From Planet to Plate”, which focuses on food system transformations. He applied the insights gained on nature-based learning directly in his Honors course and redesigned the curriculum by co-designing activities with his students, even implementing an innovative evaluation method where the students’ “recipe” serves as their final assessment.
Mario’s approach is deeply personal and rooted in his education. He states: “The pedagogic principles of the scouts, which I learned as a child, are the same pedagogical principles I have in my teaching vision.”
The Reality of Collaboration
Working as a multi-disciplinary researcher is not always easy: “Working with colleagues from other disciplines means the focus is not always the same, but that does not have to be a problem.” Some might prioritize art-based methods for fostering empathy, Environmental Science researchers often look toward holistic thinking and environmental awareness.
The team navigated this by ensuring every discipline had a place in the project and having different members lead workshops, allowing each discipline to use their unique perspectives and share their specific expertise with the rest of the group.
The Outlook
Looking towards the future, Plato’s Garden intends to use the award grant to further institutionalize and upscale their work. Their next steps include building a digital platform to connect researchers and lecturers interested in nature-based learning. Furthermore, they aim to systematically evaluate the impact of these methods, for example by using the Behavioral Lab, and upscale nature-based pedagogical methods across various programs within VU.
As Mario reflects back on his journey at the end of the interview he states: “The Seed Money project gave me the chance to look beyond the boundaries of my institute and really start building these connections across the university."