Transformative Teacher Development: The Outdoor Education Community of Practice of UNI-T Academy

Our presentation delves into the Outdoor Education Community of Practice (CoP), emphasizing sustainability and innovation within the UNI-T “European Civic Teacher Academy” project. A data collection through pre-session questionnaires tailored subsequent training to address specific needs identified by European teachers. The three-part CoP workshop series unfolds in the following sequence: an online session for preparation and needs assessment, a transformative face-to-face 3-day workshop in Rome, and a purposefully designed third online meeting. During the first session, teachers collaboratively addressed challenges derived from pre-session questionnaires, focusing on inadequate space and collaborative transdisciplinary pathway building. The Rome workshop immersed teachers in outdoor education strategies, fostering transformative changes in their perspectives and practices. The subsequent online meeting reinforces continuity, community building, and professional empowerment, all aligned with the initiative's objectives. It strengthens networks among education professionals, facilitating resource sharing and collaborative problem-solving. Throughout this CoP initiative, a repository of professional situations, solutions, and theoretical resources is systematically cataloged online, offering valuable insights for teachers facing specific challenges in outdoor education. Data from questionnaires and reports from participants and session moderators will be used to highlight the characteristics of the learning experience, its effectiveness, and encountered difficulties. This comprehensive overview of the Outdoor Education CoP training underscores its data-driven, experiential, and community-centric approach to transformative teacher development. Acknowledging the specific objectives of each workshop session, this work contributes to the ongoing discourse on fostering innovation and sustainability in teacher education.