Pavel Cenkl, Head of Schumacher College: On Ecological Approaches and Embodied Learning Practices in Higher Education

The Human Show: Innovation through Social Science

Pavel Cenkl is currently the Head of Schumacher College and Director of Learning at Dartington Trust, Devon, England and previously he held the position of Professor of Environmental Humanities and Associate Dean at Sterling College, Vermont. Pavel holds a Ph.D. in English and is the author of many articles, chapters, and two books. He has always been drawn to colleges and universities whose curriculum fully integrates learning with practice and thinking with embodiment.

While pursuing research in ecologically-minded curriculum design and teaching courses in environmental philosophy, Pavel is also a passionate endurance and adventure runner. Over the past five years through a project called Climate Run, Pavel has covered hundreds of miles in the Arctic and subarctic on foot in order to bring attention to the connections between our bodies and the more-than-human world in the face of a rapidly changing climate.

In this podcast episode, Pavel shares his work at Schumacher College but also other personal discoveries and aspirations. Together, we explore educational practices that blend theoretical pursuits with immersive community action and the human with the more than human. Can we use ecology as a blueprint for learning models? How to define a scientific method within the framework of regenerative learning? How to take the individual embodied practice and make it resonate with a broader audience? Join us in this conversation.

Mentioned in Podcast:

Schumacher College

Timothy Morton

Into the cracks, by Bayo Akomolafe

Social media:

Pavel’s LinkedIn

Pavel’s Instagram:

(https://www.instagram.com/climate_run/)

Pavel’s website:

http://www.climaterun.org