This study examines how children’s agency and participation are enacted within multimodal and place-conscious early childhood learning environments that integrate environmental education, dialogic pedagogy and digital technologies. The analysis draws on empirical material generated within the international EACH project (Erasmus+ Project EACH – Early Childhood and Sustainable Citizenship Routes in the Digital Era, 2023-1-PT01-KA220-SCH-000156194), which implemented shared pedagogical scenarios in early childhood education institutions in Poland, Italy and Portugal. These scenarios were designed to foster collaborative knowledge-building, environmental awareness related to climate change and critical engagement with digital technologies through learner-centred and participatory approaches enacted across diverse spatial configurations, including indoor and outdoor environments.

The primary objective of the study is to explore how innovative methodologies are enacted in relation to the spatial, material and digital affordances of early childhood learning environments. Specifically, the study aims to examine how children’s agency emerges through dialogic and collaborative activities, and how different learning environments (indoor/outdoor; digital/analogue) shape participation and interaction. The study is guided by the following research questions:

-      How do participatory and collaborative learning processes unfold in practice among young children across different learning environments (indoor/outdoor; digital/analogue)?

-      How is children’s agency enacted through participation in early childhood education activities integrating environmental education, digital technologies and dialogic pedagogy?

The theoretical framework is grounded in place-conscious perspectives, which emphasise that learning is situated, relational and embedded in specific spatial, material and socio-environmental contexts. From this standpoint, educational environments are understood not as neutral backdrops but as active pedagogical elements that shape participation, interaction and meaning-making through learners’ embodied engagement with place (Aasen, Grindheim, & Waters, 2009; Gruenewald, 2003).

Such understandings resonate with educational approaches that explicitly foreground the pedagogical role of the environment. Montessori pedagogy and forest-based early childhood education conceptualise learning spaces as intentionally prepared environments in which materiality, spatial organisation and bodily activity support children’s autonomy, engagement and sense-making (Bennetts & Bone, 2019; Sella et al., 2023). These approaches highlight how carefully designed indoor and outdoor environments can invite participation and sustain children’s involvement across diverse activities.

Building on these perspectives, the framework adopts a relational understanding of children’s agency, in which agency is enacted through participation in social practices rather than treated as an individual attribute. From this view, agency emerges in interaction, dialogue and shared activity, directing attention to the everyday pedagogical practices through which children’s participation and contribution become observable within educational settings (Ainscow, 2020).

The study is based on qualitative observation data generated within the international EACH project (Erasmus+ Project EACH – Early Childhood and Sustainable Citizenship Routes in the Digital Era, 2023-1-PT01-KA220-SCH-000156194). The project implemented shared pedagogical scenarios in early childhood education settings in Poland, Italy and Portugal. The empirical material analysed in this paper consists of 30 qualitative observation records collected in three early childhood education institutions located in Poland, including 20 observations conducted in a kindergarten following the Montessori pedagogy and 10 observations conducted in a forest kindergarten, involving children aged 3-6. These observations constitute the primary empirical basis for the analysis of children’s agency and participation in diverse and multimodal learning environments. In addition, the analysis incorporates qualitative project reports documenting the implementation of the same pedagogical scenarios in partner early childhood education institutions in Italy and Portugal. These materials situate the findings within a broader international research framework and enhance their analytical transferability across educational contexts. Data were collected using a structured qualitative observation protocol incorporating binary analytic indicators as well as open qualitative field notes. The protocol was structured around three core analytic dimensions:  collaborative knowledge-building processes;  awareness about environmental and climate-change challenges;  critical approach to digital technologies. Qualitative field notes documented children’s verbal expressions, interactions, gestures, bodily engagement and responses to materials, space and peers, thereby capturing the complexity of multimodal and embodied learning processes. In addition, information on the spatial configuration of activities (indoor or outdoor) and the modality of the instructional starting point (digital or analogue) was systematically documented as part of the observation protocol.

Both indoor and outdoor activities were organised in ways that sought to provide opportunities for all children to participate in the proposed tasks. Participation became observable through multiple forms, including verbal contributions, bodily engagement, gesture and interaction with material and digital resources. Inclusive participation was supported through a combination of pedagogical facilitation and the design of engaging, contextually grounded activities. Teachers encouraged children to express their own ideas and perspectives, invited questions and created space for dialogue, while the structure of activities and the use of material, spatial and digital resources further enabled participation among children of different ages (3-6 years). These practices were coherent with the pedagogical contexts of Montessori pedagogy and a forest-based approach. Across the observed practices, children frequently brought their own perspectives and ideas, asked questions, participated in decision-making processes and provided examples to support their viewpoints. Attentive listening, respect for different perspectives and attempts to reconcile divergent views were also observed, indicating dialogic and collaborative interactional patterns. Engagement with digital tools was often accompanied by visible enthusiasm; however, the use of digital technologies was typically closely guided by teachers, with children’s interaction remaining largely teacher-directed and structured. As a result, engagement with digital technologies tended to take more receptive or observational forms, with limited opportunities for autonomous exploration. Overall, the findings show how participatory and collaborative learning processes unfold in practice through dialogic interaction, embodied engagement and shared activity across diverse learning environments, while also demonstrating how children’s agency is enacted through observable practices of contribution and initiative-taking. These findings open up a discussion on how educational content can be embedded into place-conscious learning environments to support children's engagement, participation, and multimodal meaning-making. They also raise questions about children’s autonomy and the forms of support in their use of digital technologies in early childhood education.

Acknowledgement This presentation would not have been possible without the contribution of the EACH project Members and their valuable work: Sofia Baptista, Monika Blandzi, Susana Cadilha, Liliana Carvalho, Nicoletta Chieregato, Maja Cimerman Sitar, Silvia Demozzi, Neringa Gaus, Federica Gazzoli, Beatrice Gobbi, Carla Gomes, Isabel Henriques, Agata Jednacz, Klara Junkes, Aleksandra Knapkiewicz, Dina Mendonça, Michela Patuzzo, Joanna Recka, Rita Rodrigues, Matej Sitar, Maja Tisljar, Alexis Trindade, Carola Trufelli, Luca Zanetti. Aasen, W., Grindheim, L. T., & Waters, J. (2009). The outdoor environment as a site for children’s participation, meaning-making and democratic learning: examples from Norwegian kindergartens. Education 3-13, 37(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004270802291749 Ainscow, M. (2020). Promoting inclusion and equity in education: lessons from international experiences. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 6(1), 7–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2020.1729587 Bennetts, K., Bone, J. (2019). Adult leadership and the development of Children’s Spirituality: exploring Montessori’s concept of the prepared environment. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 24(4), 356–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364436X.2019.1685949 Gruenewald, D. A. (2003). Foundations of Place: A Multidisciplinary Framework for Place-Conscious Education. American Educational Research Journal, 40(3), 619-654. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312040003619 Sella, E., Bolognesi, M., Bergamini, E. et al. Psychological Benefits of Attending Forest School for Preschool Children: a Systematic Review. Educ Psychol Rev 35, 29 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09750-4