Educating for Sustainability in a Small Island Nation

Jane Spiteri is a lecturer in the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education (Faculty of Education), at the University of Malta. She has worked as an educator for two and a half decades, gaining experience across primary, secondary and higher education, and as a researcher. Jane is committed to working in collaboration with other academics from a range of disciplines to strengthen environmental education, particularly in early childhood education. Her work investigates: early childhood education for sustainability; environmental education, outdoor learning, and gifted and talented education. Recently, she has been awarded the OMEP New Scholar Award for her research in early childhood education for sustainability.

• Chapter 1. Framing: Young children’s environmental interests.- Chapter 2. Colonialism, small island states and sustainability.- Chapter 3. Education and sustainability: Debates, tensions and possibilities in practice, policy and research.- Chapter 4. Early childhood education for what? The Maltese education system, the environment and sustainability.- Chapter 5. Listening to stories that matter.- Chapter 6. Malta and its environment: Stories told by children.- Chapter 7. Young children and the environment: Visions of nature.- Chapter 8. Young children and environmental sustainability: An emerging relationship.- Chapter 9. Contextual, cultural or what? Influences on children’s environmental perceptions.- Chapter 10. Intergenerational learning: Environmental literacy in the family and beyond.- Chapter 11. Early childhood education for sustainability in the postcolonial era – Knowledge, identity, power and voice of early childhood teachers.- Chapter 12.Bringing the stories together: The way forward.