Keynote III Marie Fridberg, Love Fredholm and Sofia Zätterström
“Sustainability from the Start”: An On-line ESD Curriculum for Early Childhood Education
This keynote launches a brand-new free online course: Sustainability from the Start - Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Early Childhood Education (ECE)! This course is the product of a collaborative Erasmus project between Kristianstad University, edChild, and five European OMEP committees in France, Ireland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Sweden, affirming early childhood educators as key agents for transformative change. Read more here about the course and the app ECE Academy.
The aim of the project was to develop and implement an online course to support education for sustainable development in Early Childhood Education settings and pre-service teacher education in five countries and in five different languages. This was accomplished by merging digital learning and education for sustainable development within the ECE Academy App, provided by edChild.
Throughout the keynote, we will demonstrate how the course, divided into eight modules, elucidates various aspects of sustainable development, converging these components into a holistic perspective. Each module includes practical ESD activities for children, offering educators real-world applications of the concepts discussed. We will showcase how in-service preschool teachers have benefited from the course and illustrate its potential for pre-service teacher education. By showcasing the course and its implementation within the ECE Academy app, we aim to inspire and equip early childhood educators to cultivate a future of sustainable development.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
Marie Fridberg
Marie Fridberg is Associate Professor in Science Education at Kristianstad University. She holds a PhD in Medical Microbiology and is a Preschool Teacher. Marie is teaching science at the preschool teacher program and her research involves teachers’ and young children’s teaching and learning in science and sustainable development, with and without digital tools. Marie is a member of the research group LISMA (Learning in Science and Mathematics) at Kristianstad University and a board alternate in OMEP Sweden. She is the project leader in the Erasmus project Sustainability from the Start: An On-line ESD Curriculum for Early Childhood Education.
edChild, Love Fredholm & Sofia Zätterström
edChild is an award-winning Swedish EdTech company, represented by two of its founders, Love Fredholm and Sofia Zätterström. Love has perennial experience in process management and the development of quality management systems, focusing on effectively managing, leading, and implementing complex projects. Sofia, a seasoned executive with a robust background in strategy execution, sustainability, education, and business development, is passionate about leveraging technology and collaboration to foster sustainable change. Both Love and Sofia hold M.Sc. degrees in Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology and possess substantial experience in operating preschools in Sweden. In 2020, their preschool organization garnered recognition for their work with the prestigious Guldtrappan Award, a testament to their quality in digital school development. edChild is a partner in the Erasmus project Sustainability from the Start: An On-line ESD Curriculum for Early Childhood Education, and the creators of the application ECE Academy, housing the online course.
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