Peer-reviewed article
Technology and sustainability for/in early childhood education and care
Anita Tvedt Crisostomo, Anne Beate Reinertsen ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed paper uses posthuman philosophy to explore how technology and sustainability relate to kindergarten education practice in Norway. It examines tensions between preparing children for a technology-driven society and promoting socially just pedagogies. The authors use dataphilosophy as a theoretical framework to critique technological solutions in early childhood settings.
Key points
- The paper critiques economic arguments for implementing STEM education in early childhood
- It explores 'natureculture kindergarten praxis' as a sustainable collective engagement
- The authors examine what subject positions digitalization requires of early childhood educators
- The work uses dataphilosophy and non-position as theory-method
- Focus on steering technology towards socially just pedagogies
Limitations
This is a theoretical and philosophical exploration rather than an empirical study of child outcomes or well-being. It does not measure or evaluate the impact of any specific intervention on children's development or welfare.
Abstract
Inspired by a posthuman philosophy, this paper explores sustainable natureculture kindergarten praxis as a pragmatic transcorporeal collective engagement with the present and sustainable future events to come. The point of departure is the economic argument for implementing science, technology, engineering and mathematics education within early childhood education and care as a preparation for the challenges a science- and technology-driven society brings at the forefront. By exploring and experimenting with dataphilosophy as our theory-method and the concept of non-position, we embrace and critique technology and technological solutions in connection with kindergarten praxis and steer them towards new forms of solidarity and socially just pedagogies. Through the article, we ask (in)directly what kind of subject position digitalization as part of a sustainable future requires, and the inevitable questions this subject position regarding professionalism within early childhood education and care brings.