LITTLE READERS,BIG CHANGE MAKERS:
EXPLORING SUSTAINABILITY
Importance Of Sustainability Education
The importance of early childhood sustainability education is that it helps children to become informed, responsible and active citizens who care about people, places and the natural world. The modern definitions of sustainability go beyond environmental sustainability considerations and encompass social justice, equity, inclusion, wellbeing and economic responsibility. Teachers are encouraged to see sustainability as more than one topic, understanding that this can be integrated in all aspects of everyday life, allowing children to see all the connections between people, communities and the environment. This is a systems (environmental, social and economic) approach that is inclusive and enables a sustainable future for everyone.(ACECQA, 2016)
Importance Of Picture Books
Picture books are an effective pedagogical tool that can convey complex sustainable issues in meaningful and engaging stories that young children can relate to. Children learn about caring for nature, fairness, belonging, diversity, community responsibility and more through relatable characters, compelling stories and rich illustrations. Children can relate new ideas to themselves in stories, sparking empathy, conversations and reflection. They also offer a safe space to explore real world problems, imagining positive solutions that could be implemented in the real world.
Agency, Curiosity, Creativity and Critical Thinking
Children's literature helps to promote the current early childhood education, and it does so by encouraging children to think, create, be curious, and be agents. Children actively build knowledge rather than passively receive information as they ask questions, make predictions, look at different points of view, and solve problems in stories. These stories can be explored through dramatic play, outdoor investigations, collaborative projects, creative arts, discussion and inquiry-based and play-based pedagogies that extend learning experiences into the real world. These strategies empower children to be effective agents of change, with their ideas and actions having a positive impact within their families, schools, and communities. The contemporary image of the child is one that acknowledges children as competent, creative and active contributors to a sustainable future.(Pulimeno et al., 2020)
The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) V2.0 strengthens this approach by acknowledging children's early curiosity about the world, their capacity to engage with sustainability concepts and their capacity to be advocates and agents of change. The framework calls for teachers to create real-world experiences that build children's agency, citizenship, and sense of responsibility in community, local and global contexts. In line with the prescribed reading, education for sustainability teaches children to think critically, creatively and reflectively about intergenerational equity and fairness, and equips them to be thoughtful and compassionate changemakers.