Peer-reviewed article
Education for sustainable development at the early childhood education
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Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This paper examines how education for sustainable development (ESD) can be integrated into early childhood education in Poland. The authors argue that early childhood is a critical period for developing pro-ecological and pro-social attitudes, and that ESD should focus on building creativity, wisdom, and reasoning skills. The paper identifies a gap between the need for experiential learning approaches and current curricula constraints, and calls for redefining educational practices in Poland to support sustainable development competencies.
Key points
- Early childhood education is identified as a special period when pro-ecological and pro-social attitudes can be effectively developed
- Education for sustainable development requires a shift from traditional learning paradigms to experiential learning approaches
- Current pre-established learning outcomes and compulsory testing frameworks constrain the development of creativity and wisdom competencies
- Implementation of ESD at early education stage in Poland requires curriculum changes and attention to organizational, teaching, and educational balance
- ESD implementation at the early education stage in Poland is not yet well-recognized and needs practical strategies
Limitations
This paper is a conceptual analysis rather than an empirical study, so it does not present data on actual outcomes or effectiveness of ESD interventions in Polish early childhood settings. The findings are based on literature review and theoretical reasoning rather than primary research evidence.
Abstract
Purpose: the aim of the paper is to present the role of education in developing one's awareness of sustainable development.The first educational stage is a special period of development, during which it is extremely important to develop pro-ecological and pro-social attitudes.Approach: the paper shows the essence of education for sustainable development (ESD) in shaping the values, empathy and awareness that are needed to act for society, the environment and the economy.There are many scientific publications that present research on the implementation of ESD in school curricula, but only few of them truly analyze the role of the first stage of education, which is considered the period of greatest human development.Findings: what formal education requires is to redefine and adopt a new experiential learning paradigm.The principal role of the school, as an organization responsible for shaping this process, and also of the teacher, is to shape specific attitudes of creativity, wisdom and reasoning.These competencies are blocked by pre-established learning outcomes that need to be verified through sets of compulsory tests.Practical implications: currently, the implementation of ESD at the first stage of education involves changing existing curricula.However, it is also worth paying attention to the need for balance at every stage of school activity: organizational, teaching, educational, and to notice possible changes in the area of quality and standards regarding ESD in Poland.Originality/value: the implementation of ESD at the stage of early education in Poland is not yet well recognized; the article offers threads for possible further discussion, as well as the design of practical strategies.