Education for transformation: analyzing the impact of outdoor experiences on future teachers’ connection with nature

The initial education of teachers, its values and practice could be drivers of change in schools and among the students. This study reports the results of a survey conducted among participants in various educational for future teachers: the aim was to understand if these learning experiences may have a transformative potential in the level of connection with nature perceived by them. Results show that there was a significant enhancement of participants’ perceived connection with nature; in terms of transformative impact, the analysis conducted in accordance with the Learning Activities Survey (LAS) shows that for more than half of the respondents the workshops led to a change in their beliefs or behaviors. We suggest thus to increase the number of these kind of educational experiences in order to promote a paradigm shift in teacher education toward sustainability.