Call for Proposals and Registration Open: Learning Wild – 2027 Outdoor Learning Conference, Berlin, 07-08 May

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.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Are you interested in sharing your knowledge and experiences? We’d love to hear from you. Follow the link below to learn more about the tracks and how to submit your proposal. We look forward to hearing from you! Plus,  we are also inviting students to submit workshops under the Student Changemaker track – follow the link 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. CALL FOR PROPOSALS

More exciting information to follow in the coming weeks! Stay tuned! At the conference, we will explore, discuss and make conscious decisions, focusing on our tracks. You can learn more via the registration page.