ESC20 OL Leadership Summit 2026

Imagine if nature-based learning were not an enrichment activity or isolated initiative, but an integrated, sustainable practice within public schools.Across North America, educators are eager to move learning outdoors, yet implementation often stalls due to uncertainty, limited professional preparation, and fears about rigor or accountability. This session invites participants to imagine a different approach—one that treats nature-based learning not as a leap, but as a developmental progression supported by research and intentional structures.Drawing from a multi-year practitioner inquiry examining teacher transformation in public school settings, this session introduces three interconnected tools for systemic implementation.First, participants will explore keystones to implementation identified through research, including cultivating educator buy-in, building experiential confidence, making student learning visible, and fostering sustained professional community. These keystones highlight that successful change is relational and experiential—not merely procedural.Second, the session presents a Framework of Change that maps how teachers evolve from initial compliance (“taking lessons outside”) to instructional ownership and ecological reciprocity. This framework emphasizes identity shift, not just practice shift, as the foundation of sustainable change.Third, participants will engage with the Nature Integration Continuum—a progression from Outdoor Learning (teacher-led), to Nature Play (child-led), to Nature-Based Learning (nature-led). Rather than positioning these as competing models, the continuum reframes them as complementary entry points that build toward deeper ecological integration.