Outdoor education and artificial intelligence: an integrated pedagogical framework for personalized, situated, and sustainable learning
Year: 2026
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into education raises questions about technological innovation, knowledge construction, environmental awareness, and active participation. Outdoor Education similarly extends learning beyond the classroom through observation, inquiry, embodied experience, and interaction with natural environments. Their convergence raises a key question: how can AI enhance outdoor learning without replacing direct sensory, physical, and social experiences? This paper develops the theoretical and methodological foundations of an AI-enhanced Outdoor Education model grounded in experiential and situated learning, embodied cognition, Human-Centred AI, and technological complementarity. Particular attention is given to different educational stages. In early childhood, Forest Kindergartens and Nature Preschools emphasise autonomous exploration, free play, movement, sensory experience, and interaction with natural materials. AI should therefore remain primarily teacher-mediated, supporting documentation, planning, assessment, and reflection rather than children's direct experience of nature. Chapter in: Francesco Peluso Cassese (ed.), Algorithmic Heartbeats: Affective Education in the Age of the Fourth Revolution, REN Press – Cares srl, 2026, pp. 173-174. ISBN 979-12-82860-00-0. Volume DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23211262. Section: Hybrid and "Emotionally Aware" Learning Environments.
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7224929196