Sustainability and outdoor education
XPLOR Madeira – Outdoor Education, Sustainability, Citizenship, Leadership & Positive School
6 days
XPLOR Madeira is the flagship outdoor education course of PIC, combining sustainability, active citizenship, leadership and positive school principles in a week-long immersive experience across Madeira's most spectacular natural and cultural landscapes.
Participants learn by doing — hiking, exploring, sailing — and return to school with a comprehensive outdoor education toolkit and a renewed sense of what education can be when it moves beyond classroom walls.
Learning Outcomes
Participants to the course will learn to:
Plan and lead experiential and outdoor learning experiences across the curriculum
Apply sustainability and citizenship education through field-based methods
Develop student leadership and school wellbeing using positive education frameworks
Design a whole-school outdoor learning programme
Connect outdoor education to Erasmus+ priorities: sustainability, inclusion, citizenship
Programme
XPLOR Madeira – Outdoor Education, Sustainability, Citizenship, Leadership & Positive School
Monday – Outdoor Education & Positive Schools (Classroom, EB 2,3 do Louro, Funchal)
Introduction to experiential learning, outdoor education, and positive school principles.
Workshop on sustainability, citizenship, and leadership in education.
Planning outdoor activities with wellbeing and engagement in mind.
Tuesday – Experiential Learning & Sustainability: Levada Walk (Easy Levada outside Funchal)
Exploration of Curral das Freiras and the banana plantation coast.
Activities on environmental sustainability and responsible outdoor behaviour.
Reflection on linking sustainability to outdoor education.
Wednesday – Citizenship and Leadership in Eastern Madeira (Machico / Santana)
Guided levada walk: citizenship in motion — care for water, nature and community.
Visit to Santana: outdoor workshops on civic engagement and cultural heritage.
Reflection on applying citizenship and leadership principles in schools.
Thursday – Positive School & Outdoor Collaboration in Northern Madeira (São Vicente / Seixal / Porto Moniz)
Experiential activities to enhance collaboration, social skills, and group cohesion.
Workshops on wellbeing, inclusion, and creating a positive school environment.
Reflection on integrating positive education into outdoor learning projects.
Friday
PLAN A — SPRING / SUMMER
(March – September) · Catamaran · Parque de Santa Catarina, Funchal
Catamaran: Teamwork, Sustainability & Reflection
Sailing along Madeira's coast to observe marine biodiversity and ecosystems.
Team-based challenges emphasising leadership, collaboration, and sustainable practices.
Reflection on experiential learning, citizenship, and positive school principles.
PLAN B — AUTUMN / WINTER
(October – February) · Indoor · Escola do Louro, Funchal
Integration Workshop: Positive School Design
Workshop: designing a positive school week using outdoor methods.
Group challenge: build a school sustainability action plan.
Planning session: your first outdoor learning activity back at school.
Saturday – Synthesis and Certificate Ceremony (Funchal, Outdoor)
Presentation of participants' mini-projects or outdoor lesson plans.
Discussion on implementing sustainability, citizenship, leadership, and wellbeing in schools.
Outdoor certificate ceremony and networking.
Materials, digital tools & other learning resources
Course participants will receive training and engage in exercises designed to develop their skills as trainers. The provision of additional materials or resources will be determined based on the course structure and the instructor’s approach to meeting the learning objectives
Course package content:
Services and activities included in the course package are those described above. Please note that accommodation, transport, and meals are not provided.
Cancellation & changes:
Common sense prevails when it comes to cancellations, which are analyzed on a case-by-case basis.