When the lagoon becomes a classroom: how outdoor learning renewed teachers' professional purpose and connection to nature

As environmental challenges become increasingly urgent, educators are exploring new ways to foster sustainability awareness from an early age. While ocean literacy initiatives have gained growing attention in schools worldwide, less is known about how early childhood educators themselves experience and make sense of sustained encounters with marine environments. A study published on June 10, 2026, in ECNU Review of Education (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20965311261453545) examines this question through the experiences of teachers participating in the Kindergarten of the Lagoon project in Venice, Italy.

The study explores how sustained engagement with the lagoon shaped teachers' perceptions of nature and sustainability, as well as their professional practice and identity. The research was conducted within the Kindergarten of the Lagoon project, an initiative launched in 2021 as part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and promoted by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

The project involved early childhood education services in the Venice Lagoon and brought together two complementary approaches: ocean literacy and outdoor education. Each week, children and teachers explored the lagoon through direct experiences in natural settings, supported by an interdisciplinary team of psychologists, educators, and marine scientists. The researchers were particularly interested in how these sustained experiences influenced teachers over time.

The study involved ten teachers from two preschools, one in Venice and the other in Mestre. Data were collected through three focus groups conducted before, during, and after the project. Researchers analyzed the discussions using two complementary qualitative approaches: Emotional Text Analysis (ETA) and Hermeneutic Phenomenological Analysis (HPA). Together, these methods enabled the researchers to examine the emotional and educational dimensions of teachers' experiences.

The analyses identified five major thematic domains. The first concerned a shift from control to trust. Teachers described how outdoor experiences encouraged them to move away from highly structured and directive practices toward approaches that gave greater recognition to children's autonomy, self-regulation, and capacity for exploration.

A second theme centered on curiosity, observation, and inquiry. Teachers observed that outdoor environments prompted children to ask authentic questions, explore independently, and sustain their attention for longer periods. At the same time, teachers themselves became more attentive observers and increasingly supported learning through inquiry.

The lagoon also emerged as a powerful context for belonging and care. Teachers described developing stronger emotional connections with the local environment, while children increasingly came to see the lagoon as part of their own world. Through repeated visits and shared experiences, the natural environment shifted from being a distant educational topic to becoming a familiar and meaningful place linked to identity, community, and responsibility.

Another theme concerned well-being and community dynamics. Participants reported that outdoor experiences enhanced the well-being of both teachers and children, strengthened relationships, and encouraged greater collaboration among educators. For many teachers, the project also renewed their enjoyment of teaching and reconnected them with the reasons they had entered the profession. 

The final theme concerned institutional tensions and the impulse for transformation. Although teachers welcomed outdoor learning, they also encountered challenges arising from administrative requirements, established school routines, and organizational constraints. These tensions prompted them to reflect critically on conventional practices and consider new ways of incorporating outdoor learning into everyday education. Taken together, the five themes point to a broader process of change in which teachers developed new understandings of education and of themselves as educators.

One particularly important finding concerns the role of place. Teachers reported that identifying specific lagoon locations, including islands, waterways, and routes, helped turn these environments into meaningful educational spaces. Through repeated, direct engagement, place became an active part of learning rather than simply a backdrop for activities. This process strengthened both teachers' and children's sense of connection and belonging.

The authors argue that outdoor education and ocean literacy should not be treated as separate educational initiatives. Instead, meaningful sustainability education can emerge when children and teachers develop embodied, emotional, and relational connections with the places around them. Such experiences can foster environmental awareness while also contributing to teachers' professional growth, renewing their educational practice and deepening their sense of and purpose.