Canadian Nature-Based Early Childhood Education and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: A Partial Alignment

Autor/inn/en	Boileau, Elizabeth; Dabaja, Ziad F.; Harwood, Debra
Titel	Canadian Nature-Based Early Childhood Education and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: A Partial Alignment
Quelle	In: International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 9 (2021) 1, S.77-93 (17 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2331-0464
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Early Childhood Education; Environmental Education; Sustainable Development; Outdoor Education; Educational Practices; Alignment (Education); Educational Objectives; Climate; Conservation (Environment); Indigenous Populations; Civil Rights; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Early childhood; Education; Frühkindliche Bildung; Frühpädagogik; Umweltbildung; Umwelterziehung; Umweltpädagogik; Nachhaltige Entwicklung; Freiluftunterricht; Bildungspraxis; Educational objective; Bildungsziel; Erziehungsziel; Klima; Conservation; Environment; Konservierung; Bewahung; Umwelt; Sinti und Roma; Bürgerrechte; Grundrechte; Zivilrecht; Kanada
Abstract	In 2015, Canada adopted the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development and committed to its 17 sustainable development goals aiming to address issues of social, economic and environmental nature (United Nations, n.d.). Although Canada proposed an Indicator Framework with measurable targets to track progress on certain goals, these are still in the initial stage of development and discussion (Government of Canada, 2019). With increased demand for nature-based and outdoor educational programs in North America, exploring how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) may or may not align with current educational practices seems prudent. Specifically, we ask: Are the social, economic and environmental issues of concern integrated within outdoor nature-based programming? Could immersive outdoor programs be a viable avenue for helping Canada reach some of the global sustainable development goals? Finally, adopting a critical lens on the SDGs more broadly, are there additional ways in which teaching and learning for sustainability can be implemented within Canadian nature-based programming? In order to examine these questions, we start by briefly exploring the SDGs and the Canadian proposed targets. Utilizing some of the results of a Pan-Canadian large-scale survey study, we delved into survey questions that examined the diversity of the attendees, perceived benefits of programs, and the ways in which sustainability for education are incorporated within programs (e.g., climate change and environmental issues, conservation and stewardship, and Indigenous rights). Findings from the latter study suggest that outdoor nature-based programs can help address several SDGs and promote the development of children's key competencies that could enable them to engage with issues of sustainability. Yet, we contend that further studies are needed to examine how and to what extent outdoor nature-based programs can help equip future generations with a sustainable ethos. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	North American Association for Environmnental Education. 1725 DeSales Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-419-0412; Web site: https://naturalstart.org/research
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01