Nature and Environmental Education in Early Childhood

Meier, Daniel R.; Sisk-Hilton, Stephanie

doi:10.1080/1547688x.2017.1354646

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…However, evidence suggests (Meier and Sisk-Hilton 2017) that many teachers feel unprepared to provide young children with meaningful and enriching experiences and activities in nature. While these findings warrant further investigation, this unpreparedness could be the result of the push from education systems towards academic achievement in terms of literacy and numeracy, resulting in lack of scientific knowledge, making them unprepared to teach the subject (Meier and Sisk-Hilton 2017). Therefore, while one might argue that ECEfS has addressed some of the calls proposed by SDG 4 to help create a sustainable world now and in the future by implementing pedagogies that enable young children to play and learn in, with, and for nature, there is more to be done.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Young Children’s Experiences in Nature as a Precursor to Achieving Sustainability

Spiteri

2020

Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

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The recent United Nations' (UN) sustainable development goals [SDGs] (UNESCO 2015, 2017) aim to build a sustainable world, where environmental, sociocultural, sociopolitical, and economic developments are pursued and equally valued, starting in the early years. Early childhood education (ECEC) offers numerous opportunities for creative play in nature and connections to place (UNESCO 2017, 2019), a pedagogical approach which has long been part of the history of early years' pedagogies (Bailie 2016; Elliott 2018). A growing body of literature indicates that young children's experiences in nature promote environmental values and are more likely to encourage children to engage in environmental protection efforts more often, now and in the future. With the help of caring adults, young children can form meaningful relationships with the natural environment, which are precursors to the achievement of a sustainable future (Elliott 2018;

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Young Children’s Experiences in Nature as a Precursor to Achieving Sustainability

Spiteri

2020

Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

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“…Therefore, unless ESE is understood by a majority of those working in a preschool to be an urgent concern, the potential of PAR processes will also be underutilised. In such cases, an alternative would be to consistently invest in continuous training (Meier and Sisk-Hilton 2017), involving groups of staff and including preschool leadership, rather than expecting individuals to be able to transfer what they have learnt to others in their contexts. Such decisions are ultimately a matter of policy and political will, to make investments in preschools that support ambitions for environmental and sustainability education to be realised and to meet commitments nationally and internationally.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sociology of childhood (James and Prout 1997) emphasises children's capability and agency (Heft and Chawla 2006;Caiman and Lundegard 2014;Schiller and Einarsdottir 2009). Such pedagogies are in line with the tradition of Reggio Emilia (Meier and Sisk-Hilton 2017) that sees children as inquisitive and capable learners, but contrasts with traditional 'fact-based' pedagogies which aim to shape the child and transfer knowledge (Öhman 2008). In the Swedish literature, inquiry-based education occupies a middle position in this spectrum.…”

Section: Pedagogical Approaches In Swedish Outdoor Environmental Educmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redesign of an Outdoor Space in a Swedish Preschool: Opportunities and Constraints for Sustainability Education

Nordén

Avery

2020

IJEC

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Children's early engagement in design of outdoor spaces can form the basis of later attitudes and responsible action for sustainability. The present study is part of a participatory action research project in an urban multi-ethnic preschool in Sweden, involving children, parents, preschool staff and management with a focus on improving the preschool playground. The methodology involved children taking pictures of the outdoor space, informal participant observation by one researcher and conversations with children and teachers. Analyses completed of selected fieldwork excerpts focus on learning opportunities for children and adults, children’s participation, cooperation and leadership for sustainability. Deeper awareness and confidence, and practical pedagogies for staff in preschools are required for effective sustainability education. A joint frame of reference on pedagogical practices and processes for reflection is needed within and across early childhood institutions. More continuous training of staff and preschool leadership would be of benefit. However, such commitment is ultimately a matter of policy to invest in giving preschools the means to develop and realise ambitions for environmental and sustainability education.

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“…Taking into account the interest in these early educational stages and the potential of teachers to greatly influence students' environmental citizenry, particularly their knowledge, values, beliefs, and actions toward the environment [40], IAS scientific literacy among pre-service teachers is really determinant [41]. Teachers seem to be the key to restructure educational processes and institutions toward sustainable development; therefore, teachers' knowledge and competences are crucial [42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unprepared to Deal with Invasion: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perception, Knowledge and Attitudes toward Invasive Species

et al. 2020

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The serious and growing impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) on the planet make it necessary to include this issue with greater determination in educational programs, with the aim of generating citizens capable of dealing with this environmental problem in a sustainable way. Likewise, the management of IAS represents a clear socio-scientific issue (SSI), which gives greater interest to its inclusion in school. At this point, future teachers play a key role, so that their knowledge, perceptions and attitudes on the subject must be evaluated. In order to deal with this objective, a questionnaire was filled out by 400 students of the degrees in early childhood education and primary education of the Universities of La Rioja (UR) and the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain. Our results show that pre-service teachers do not perceive impacts of different types generated by IAS, and they show a clear lack of knowledge about transmission vectors. Likewise, they do not support various control measures, especially slaughter of invasive vertebrates, related to affective dimensions. These results highlight the need to work toward an appropriate integration of this issue at different educational levels, training students and educators, fostering favorable attitudes toward a sustainable management of IAS.

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Nature and Environmental Education in Early Childhood

Cited by 21 publications

References 4 publications

Young Children’s Experiences in Nature as a Precursor to Achieving Sustainability

Young Children’s Experiences in Nature as a Precursor to Achieving Sustainability

Redesign of an Outdoor Space in a Swedish Preschool: Opportunities and Constraints for Sustainability Education

Unprepared to Deal with Invasion: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perception, Knowledge and Attitudes toward Invasive Species

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