Education for sustainability in Swedish preschools : stepping forward or out-of-step?

• In this chapter we introduce the reader to early childhood education in Sweden, and then to how the Swedish preschools work for sustainability. Democratic values, a cornerstone of Education for Sustainability (EfS)[1], are looked upon as a foundation for learning and interactions. The Swedish preschool curriculum stipulates respect for human rights and fundamental democratic values (National Agency for Education, 2011a). Each and every person working in the Swedish preschool should promote respect for the intrinsic value of everybody as well as respect for others and for our shared environment. The overall purpose is to give children opportunities to understand how democracy works, to take part in democratic decision-making, and to take responsibility for their actions both within the preschool environment, outdoors in Nature, and to actively participate in society (National Agency for Education, 2011a).[1] In Sweden, the concept of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was first introduced into public policy and politics, and also in research contexts (Breting &Wickenberg, 2010; Öhman, 2011). In this article, we use the concept education for sustainability (EfS) and early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS).

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

education for sustainability

early childhood education

Sweden

critical pedagogy

Child and Youth Science

barn- och ungdomsvetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kap (ämneskategori)