We are excited to welcome you to Learning Wild, the ECIS Outdoor Learning Conference hosted by the Embodied & Outdoor Learning SIG at the Berlin Cosmopolitan School in Germany on 07 and 08 May 2027. This year's theme is Learning Wild: Outdoor Education, Embodied Learning and Real-Life Competences for the 21st Century.

This theme reflects a growing body of research suggesting that meaningful learning often emerges when students engage physically and cognitively with real environments.

Outdoor learning is increasingly understood not simply as teaching outside the classroom but as a pedagogical approach integrating cognitive, physical, emotional and social dimensions of learning simultaneously (Jucker & von Au 2022).

Research suggests that nature-based learning environments can support attention, intrinsic motivation and classroom engagement. For example, studies have shown that lessons conducted in natural settings may lead to improved engagement during subsequent classroom instruction (Kuo et al. 2018).

In parallel, research on childhood nature experiences indicates that meaningful contact with nature during childhood may contribute to long-term environmental responsibility and sustainability-related attitudes (Chawla 2015; Chawla 2020).

During the conference, participants will experience outdoor education directly through forest workshops, walking seminars, inquiry-based lessons in natural environments and opportunities to interact with teachers and students who regularly learn outdoors.

Our aim is to create a conference that not only discusses outdoor learning but itself becomes an outdoor learning experience.

This year, we are also inviting students to submit workshops under the Student Changemaker track below. We warmly encourage groups of students to register, with each group requiring a chaperone from their school. You can register your chaperone and students together in the same registration path, with payment for everyone handled at the end. Prices for student packages can be found on the fees page. If you would like to register a group of students via invoice instead, please email events@ecis.org.

More exciting information to follow in the coming weeks! Stay tuned! At the conference, we will explore, discuss and make conscious decisions, focussing on the following tracks:

Outdoor learning becomes most powerful when it is integrated into regular subject teaching rather than treated as an occasional activity.

This track explores place-responsive pedagogy, inquiry-based learning, and interdisciplinary teaching in natural environments. Research on outdoor education and the Danish udeskole model suggests that regular curriculum-based learning outdoors can support student engagement and social interaction (Mygind et al. 2019; Jucker & von Au 2022).

Learning is not purely cognitive; it is also physical and emotional.

Outdoor learning environments invite movement, sensory exploration, and embodied experience. Research suggests that regular outdoor learning may contribute to psychosocial wellbeing, physical activity, and stronger peer relationships within the class community (Bølling et al. 2019).

This track explores the relationship between movement, attention, emotional regulation and learning engagement.

Natural environments often provide flexible learning spaces that allow different forms of participation.

Outdoor settings can offer sensory diversity, freedom of movement and alternative ways for students to interact with learning materials and peers. This track examines how outdoor education may support inclusive learning environments and strengthen belonging for diverse learners.

Outdoor environments provide authentic contexts for inquiry-based learning and project-based education.

Students often take greater ownership of learning when investigating real questions in real environments. This track explores how outdoor learning can foster student agency, collaboration, and sustainability-oriented thinking.

Outdoor learning is frequently associated with wellbeing and nature connection. This track addresses a more specific question: can outdoor learning also support academic learning outcomes?

International research suggests several mechanisms through which natural environments may support academic learning. Studies indicate that lessons in nature can improve subsequent classroom engagement and attentional functioning (Kuo et al. 2018).

Controlled comparisons in science education have also found that nature-based instruction can enhance student understanding of scientific concepts compared with conventional classroom instruction in certain contexts (Faber-Taylor, Butts & Jordan 2022).

Systematic reviews of outdoor education research suggest potential positive effects on academic learning, although results vary depending on program design, frequency of outdoor instruction and pedagogical quality (Becker et al. 2017; Mann et al. 2022).

This track therefore examines both the evidence and its limits, asking when and how natural environments function as effective academic learning environments.

Sessions may include:

• research on attention, cognition, and classroom engagement
• controlled comparisons between classroom-based and nature-based instruction
• subject learning in science, mathematics, and literacy outdoors
• methodological challenges in measuring academic outcomes of outdoor learning

The goal is not to romanticize nature but to critically examine the conditions under which outdoor learning contributes to academic development.

Young people are not only learners—they are educators, innovators and changemakers. This track invites students aged 14–19 to become active contributors to the conference by sharing projects, leading workshops, participating in discussions and collaborating with educators from around the world. Rather than learning only from adults, participants will experience what becomes possible when students and educators learn with one another. The track celebrates youth voice, learner agency and the belief that the future of education should be shaped together.

We are now currently accepting workshop proposals. You can submit a proposal using the link below.