In the magnificent setting of the Eden Project this two day conference offers an opportunity for delegates to reconnect with the world. Workshops and presentations will enable them to look beneath the surface of daily life in educational settings, and examine some of the principles that are the basis of effective learning and teaching:

• the principle of first hand experience as a necessary and significant element in learning
• the principle of intellectual engagement and emotional involvement: what matters to children
• the principle of adult involvement in learning: what educators can do to provide, organise, and value worthwhile first hand experiences
• the principle of children as powerful learners: people who think for themselves and who use their hands, eyes, ears, and their whole bodies to explore the world and everything and everyone in it
• the principle of celebrating the diversity of the world’s resources and using them as a springboard for children's learning.