Sustainability skills at the preschool level
What do they look like?
The following explores what sustainability means, why it belongs in Early childhood curricula, and what sustainability skills look like in everyday teaching practice.
Sustainability. This word is everywhere.
The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development goals are a familiar site and educators far and wide are encouraged to incorporate them into their teaching practice which prompts children to ask “What does sustainability mean?”.
How do we answer them?
One way to understand if something is sustainable or not is to ask “Can I do this over and over and over again, forever? If I do, what will happen?”
Reflecting in this way shows that sustainability goes far beyond reusing plastic bags; it can be applied to any aspect of living, teaching and learning and reaches in to examine our values and the very way we see the world and the people in it.
On a daily basis, a reflective teacher asks themselves:
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Is this schedule sustainable? |
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Is this classroom design sustainable? |
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Is this approach to conflict resolution sustainable? |
Once sustainability is stripped bare in this way, we recognise opportunities to implement more sustainable practices everywhere, from the way we use technology to how we make learning accessible to people with non-standard learning.
How can we bring sustainability to the early years classroom? Is it relevant? Can young children engage with the complexities and uncertainties related to sustainability? It’s true that for several decades of the 20th century, very young children were not believed to be capable or competent but in recent years:
Very young children can grasp complicated concepts. They can form opinions, they have values, outlooks and original ideas. That is why existing curriculum frameworks are designed to address their cognitive, social, emotional, physical and literacy skills.
So isn’t that enough, where does sustainability fit in and why do it?
One plausible rationale is that in 2020, the European Commission developed the Green Deal to steer Europe away from environmental degradation and towards becoming a modern, resource efficient, socially just and competitive economy. It is part of an important worldwide conversation, one that seeps into our everyday lives, every piece of food we buy, how we heat our homes, what we wear, how we get around, how our workplaces function is connected to sustaining a habitable planet, a just and peaceful society and a healthy economy. This is the world we’ve inherited and the one we will pass on to future generations. Young children not only need 21st century skills that address sustainability, they have a right to the opportunities to learn them.
In order to bring sustainability to the core of Early Childhood Education, what kind of learning culture do we create? What skills, values and attitudes do our children need to develop so they can thrive and take part in this pressing, worldwide discourse?
In 2017, UNESCO designed a framework of key cross cutting skills related to sustainability:
| Systems thinking |
The ability to recognise and understand systems and relationships |
| Anticipatory thinking |
The ability to understand what predictions are and be able to make them |
| Self-awareness |
The ability to reflect on one's own actions |
| Normative competency |
The ability to reflect on the values that underpin one's own actions |
| Strategic competency |
The ability to observe and record |
| Collaboration |
The ability to learn from others and strive to understand the perspectives of others |
| Critical thinking |
The ability to question and take a position in the sustainability discourse |
| Integrated problem solving |
The ability to foster entrepreneurship in the context of sustainability |
Many of these skills, attitudes and values are already integrated into established curriculum frameworks which makes the UN’s cross cutting skillset a useful tool that teachers can use to fine tune what they are already doing as opposed to engaging in a disruptive overhaul.
Leicht, A., Heiss, J., & Byun, W. J. (2018). Issues and trends in education for sustainable development (Vol. 5). UNESCO publishing
According to this approach, sustainability performance depends on the interplay of knowledge and skills, values and motivational drivers and opportunities. The interrelationship of these dimensions influences personal behavior as shown in the figure (Figure 1, p-46):
But what does this thoroughly researched framework look like when we are in the classroom with the children? It looks great on paper but does it transfer to real life?
Picture it. A Montessori classroom prepared for 10 children aged 2.5-5. In the “practical life” section of a Montessori prepared environment, there are Shoes with shoe polish, silver jugs that need to be dusted, child sized brushes, sewing kits to repair aprons… Children in Montessori schools have been engaging in these learning opportunities for almost 100 years, for fine motor skill development and independence. But what else do these simple materials teach that align with the contemporary discourse around sustainability? They show children the value of materials and how preserving them and caring for them results in less waste. What’s more, these tasks promote social equality. They show children that everyday tasks can be a pleasure and not something that is beneath some people and the job of others. This helps them reflect on their actions and understand the values that underpin them. In our modern culture, it is common to consume and amass way more than we need whereas the Montessori classroom shows children simplicity is beautiful and gives freedom.
Picture it. A Contemporary Play-based preschool where educators co-construct meaning and search for teachable moments in play episodes. They look for lines of inquiry and reflect on ways to use children’s natural interest to extend learning. One way to support sustainability skills in such a setting would be to identify an interest and reframe it so if the children are following an interest around playing “shop”, the educator uses role play to invite the children to explore where the food and materials in the shop come from, how they are transported and who grows them. Does the shop pay a fair price to suppliers? Does the agricultural company pay its workers a living wage? This is an opportunity to meet children where they are and help them familiarize themselves with the contradictions, uncertainties and complexities of sustainability.
A toddler room: In the high energy environment of a toddler room, supporting skills for sustainability may seem overly ambitious but it is most likely happening already. If the educator is designing the learning environment so that getting the toddlers outside everyday is a priority, he, she or they are already supporting sustainability skills. The change in environment itself helps the young child develop the ability to predict different futures by accepting and understanding that change is a natural part of their lives. Moreover, Toddlers are famous for using toys, tools and materials in a way other than for what they were intended. It is tempting to redirect them to use the materials in the way that we want but in truth, when a toddler repurposes a toy, they show Strategic thinking and entrepreneurship, essential skills for sustainability.
Sustainability is anything but simple. But like anything worth learning, there is beauty, urgency and uncertainty in its complexity. The sustainability discourse is part of our everyday lives and will only grow and develop. In order for young children to be able to participate in the discourse in a meaningful way, they need opportunities to develop 21st century skills. Using UNESCO’s framework as a tool to refine and reframe existing curricula can do just that.
More recently, scholars focused on the health benefits perspective of outdoor education, highlighting as outdoor education:
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Reduces the levels of stress (Campos et al., 2004) and prevents behavioral problems (Campos et al., 2004; Sameroff & Fiese, 2000); |
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Enhances communication and teamwork skills (Fiskum & Jacobesen, 2012); |
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Improves the levels of resilience; |
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Allows individuals to cope better with life stressors; |
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Increases physical health; |
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Increases self-efficacy and knowledge in and through nature (Ewert & Sibthorp, 2014); |
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Enhances the levels of restorativeness (Breitenbecher & Fuegen, 2019). |
A brief overview of the history of Outdoor Education
Several pedagogues had shown the importance of the natural environment in the educational process, starting from Romanticism, when the model of urban society broke the connection between human life and the natural environment. For example, Jan Jacques Rousseau believed that the outdoor setting was the most suitable environment for the development of children because it allows the experience of freedom and responsibility, the acquisition of cognitive abilities through direct exercise, and the stimulation of all the senses (Cambi, 2011). The thoughts of Rousseau inspired the pedagogical model of Friedric Froebel (1782-1852), who developed the “Childhood Gardens”, in which children took care of gardens and plants, learning to take responsibilities while playing in contact with nature. In his pedagogical philosophy, Frobel foresaw three types of activities:
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Playing with inanimate objects; |
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Playing with other children; |
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Gardening and caring for animals to induce sympathy for plants and animals. |
After Froebel's death, his outdoor school model was implemented in schools in Northern Europe, America, and Japan, paving the way for the concept of outdoor education.
Outdoor in practice: The example of Kindergarten in Woods
The educational design of the Kindergarten in Woods found its roots in 5 basic foundations:
STEAM
In the modern, digitized and unpredictable world, where knowledge changes faster than educational systems, the STEAM education aims to blur the traditional boundaries between disciplines and raise the students who are thoughtful risks-takers, researchers engaged in experiential learning, persistent problem-solvers, embracing collaboration with peers, creative innovators and learners of the 21st century.
The acronym STEAM refers to 5 pillars of modern education:
A group of interconnected areas of knowledge including algebra, geometry and arithmetic, focused on investigating the notion of a number, quantity, shape, space, dimensions and their mutual relations described through specialist terms/mathematical concepts.
STEAM education is not a simple sum of the described constituents. On the contrary, it is an educational strategy designed to show the practical application of scientific knowledge in everyday life and enable a deep understanding of reality and culture. The core elements are:
To inspire problem thinking, engaging children in research-based activities;
To use complex, multidimensional & interdisciplinary problems;
To use the meaningful, everyday context of learning;
To engage children into team-work;
To have fun!
Core STEAM skills:
Learning to think and discover
Creative thinking
Fluency of thinking
Flexibility of thinking
Originality of thinking
Sensitivity to problems
Elaboration
Critical thinking
Mathematical reasoning
Scientific thinking
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Asking questions |
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Analyzing and solving problems |
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Designing experiments |
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Conducting research - predicting, testing hypothesis, observing, experimenting |
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Drawing conclusions based on evidence, reasoning |
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Using digital tools do conduct and document research |
Other skills:
Learn to move graciously
Large and fine motor skills
Hand-eye coordination
Precise and efficient movement
Learn to work in a team
Taking common decisions
Sharing ideas: negotiating meanings
Sharing responsibility for a task
Accepting leadership and management
Following the safety rules and discipline
Learn to use language
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Basic literacy: reading, writing, listening with comprehension |
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ICT literacy: using computer to communicate with others |
Core STEAM skills include two essential groups of abilities:
A group of cognitive skills called “Learning to think and discover”. These are the abilities underlying the problem-solving ability, such as: identifying the problem/ realizing the gap in one’s own knowledge and becoming curious about it, formulating the precise question, predicting the possible answers (hypothesis), designing the procedure necessary to check the predictions (to test the hypothesis), conducting research, observing the results, and drawing evidence-based conclusions etc. All these are crucial ingredients of so called “scientific thinking” - precise, logical, evidence-based reasoning underlying every scientific procedure, both inductive and deductive. An important areas of such thinking are also:
Creative thinking - a thought process used to generate new ideas while exploring many different possible solutions. Divergent, non-linear reasoning is usually activated while coping with open questions which force the learner to go beyond the stereotypes, find unexpected connections, think outside the box, instead of searching for an algorithm (or cognitive schema). Important qualities of divergent thinking are described by J.P. Guilford as:
Critical thinking - reflective, evaluative, judgmental attitudes towards the knowledge statements - the ability to undertake critical reflection in the process of understanding and creating knowledge.
Mathematical reasoning - the ability to use mathematical concepts and disciplined thinking to solve everyday problems, to perceive the reality as internally organized, based on the concepts of number, quantity, frequency, patterns, internal rhythms etc. They include: precision and logic in managing quantitative data (counting, calculating, measuring, classifying), but also the ability to represent ideas in a mathematical way (create patterns, models, theoretical constructs, tables, graphs etc.).
Please note, these skills are naturally intertwined, inseparable, interacting or conditioning each other. They were separated only on theoretical level of description to illustrate the most important aspects of STEM education. A good example of such interaction is the ability to use digital tools to conduct and document research, present their results or communicate with others, to share knowledge, create the culture/ or environment of thinking This ability may be perceived as a separate set of skills (e.g. searching for information, comparing data from different sources, selecting the most important pieces of the search, using popular applications etc). In STEM education however, such skills are embedded in a broader process of conducting scientific experiments, exploring the reality around with the practical use of digital tools. Computer and ICT technology becomes here an important tool of thinking - helpful, but external, complementing the capabilities of the human mind rather than replacing/ substituting them.
A group of abilities related to self-regulated learning - represented in the Matrix as "Learning to learn”. These are the combination of cognitive, metacognitive and emotional skills described in EU documents (Hoskins, Fredriksson 2008) as a reference to all cross-cultural measures of competence in learning, e.g. PISA tests. The official definition of "Learning to learn" was offered by European Council in 2006:
Self-initiated, self-regulated, independent, intentional learning has become the key to personal and professional development in the contemporary world.
There are 3 crucial dimensions of "Learning to learn” ability, as described by Hoskins and Fredriksson (2008, p. 28-28):
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The affective dimension comprises such elements, such as: |
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The cognitive dimension is based on executive function and the effectiveness of basic cognitive processing; |
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The metacognitive dimension comprises such abilities as: planning one’s own learning, monitoring the course and effectiveness of learning process, evaluating the achieved results etc. All these abilities are the prerequisites for achieving the cognitive autonomy and becoming a self-regulated learner, independent in thinking and making decisions, however able and eager to search for educational support in social environment if needed. |
Learning to learn abilities are often disrespected or not taken seriously enough in preschool education, perceived by many teachers as „too difficult” for young learners. STEM education allows to include these abilities as a natural elements of everyday learning.
Please note: We decided to use the term “skills or abilities” instead of competencies for two reasons:
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Preschool core-curricula of partner countries concentrate on skills defined as "the ability, proficiency or dexterity to carry out tasks that come from education, training, practice or experience” (IBE 2013, p. 53). Skill is the ability to perform actions which achieve a desired outcome. |
2. |
The concept of "competence” is much broader, going beyond the knowledge and skills. The Council of Europe (1997) proposed that competence should be regarded “as the general capability based on knowledge, experience, values, dispositions which a person has developed through engagement with educational practices” (p. 26). Therefore, the concept of competence "is not limited to cognitive elements (involving the use of theory, concepts or tacit knowledge); it also encompasses functional aspects (involving technical skills) as well as interpersonal attributes (e.g. social or organizational skills) and ethical values” (IBE 2013, p. 12). The great benefit to a concept like “competence” is that it directs our attention beneath the observable behavioral surface of “skills” to inquire into the mental capacity that creates the behavior. And it directs our attention beyond the acquisition of ‘knowledge’ as storable contents (what we know) to inquire into processes by which we create knowledge (how we know) (Hoskins and Fredriksson (2008, p. 28-28)). Considering the above, we concluded that achieving the competence at an early stage of life is quite impossible. |
KitchenLab4Kids
Preschool Kitchen as a Laboratory for STEM education
The KLab4Kids project aims at proposing interdisciplinary activities in an integrated teaching context that allows pre-schoolers to develop STEM skills while practicing exciting science at the same time. One of the goals of the project is to develop innovative didactical materials (also through re-use of resources) stimulating group processes among children, increasing motivation and achievements in science learning through kitchen laboratory.
The project is focused on student-centred and problem-based active learning. This multidisciplinary and inter-disciplinary approach fosters critical thinking skills by addressing cultural and/or environmental contexts in teaching science through kitchen activities.
During organized cooking classes, the children can handle vegetables, meat and other food products in the preparation of meals. This experience allows them to become confident with the basic STEM concepts such as measuring, weighing, timing, combining ingredients, cooking and heating procedures.
