What if the most important lessons we can teach our children don’t come from textbooks – but from the land itself?
In this powerful and reflective conversation, PhD researcher Monty Nixon shares how Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing can help reshape modern education systems.
From his early experiences on Arrernte Country to his research in Outdoor and Environmental Education, Monty invites us to reconsider our relationship with place, knowledge, and learning itself.
Drawing on his work with the ‘Country as Teacher’ project at the University of Canberra, Monty explores the practice of “deep listening” and how it can reconnect students – and educators, with the natural world, which is crucial if we are to care for our planet.
This episode is a gentle yet urgent call to slow down, listen, and rediscover what it means to truly belong.
In this episode, we explore:
- What “deep listening” means and why it matters
- Indigenous perspectives on education and knowledge systems
- The Country as Teacher project and its impact in schools
- How educators can cultivate their own listening practice
- Why connection to place is essential for wellbeing and sustainability
- How we can guide children to care for the world around them
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the first inhabitants of this nation and recognise the Traditional Owners of the lands where our volunteers, staff and community partners live, learn and work.
We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, honouring their deep cultural, spiritual and ecological knowledge of Country.
For more information read this article and connect with Monty on LinkedIn
“What ‘deep listening’ can tell us about the natural world and our place in it.”
https://theconversation.com/heres-what-deep-listening-can-tell-us-about-the-natural-world-and-our-place-in-it-235868
Through listening we can learn the ways in which species across the Earth adapt, survive and thrive, providing guidance for our own cultures as we confront increasing social and environmental uncertainty.’
I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Andrew Skeoch (author of Deep Listening to Nature) on this piece, weaving together his work with what I’ve been fortunate to learn from my cultural mentors through the Country as Teacher research and my own PhD.
Excerpt:
Educational possibilities from listening
Learning through deep listening was integral to the education system in Australia for thousands of years. It allowed First Nations peoples to understand the ecological community around them and how to live with these groups of species.
In this education system, Country and Earth-Kin, (such as plants and animals) were both central knowledge holders and teachers. Humans (primarily grandparents) provided support for children’s learning from these knowledge holders. In this way children came to know, understand and care for land.
Research is demonstrating how this old teaching and learning method can work in modern schooling. More than 120 educators across the ACT are involved in the Country as Teacher project. Cultivating a practice of deep listening to Earth-Kin and Country helped teachers and students develop an improved sense of wellbeing, as well as knowledge and understanding of the places they live.
The research argues that teachers first need to cultivate their own practice of listening. Then they can embed this process in their approach to education. By slowing down, developing nuanced awareness, following curiosity, listening empathically to other beings and opening to being affected emotionally, teachers can cultivate their own deeper sense of care, appreciation and understanding. From their personal listening journey, educators can then facilitate these experiences for their students.
Through listening we can learn the ways in which species across the Earth adapt, survive and thrive, providing guidance for our own cultures as we confront increasing social and environmental uncertainty.
SOCIAL Connection
linkedin.com/in/monty-nixon-24a449164
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