Insights from Seven Educators Implementing the Emergent Curriculum in Maltese Early Years Settings (0-7 years)

Insights from Seven Educators Implementing the Emergent Curriculum in Maltese Early Years Settings (0-7 years)

The last decade has been one of curricular transformation in the Maltese early years education (0-7 years) sector. A shift away from a prescriptive curriculum towards one that is co-constructed and co-owned by the educator and the child – the emergent curriculum - alongside the introduction of a national cross-sector learning outcomes framework led to new discourses and guidelines that challenged educators to rethink their practice.

During this session, Dr Bonello and Dr Baldacchino will be talking about the results of a qualitative study they conducted together with Prof Carmen Dalli from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, aimed at investigating how the newly introduced emergent curriculum approach is being experienced by educators and children in childcare, kindergarten and early primary settings (0-7 years) and its impact on practice in Malta.  It presents the story of seven inspiring early years educators working in Malta as they embraced their transformed curricular landscape and sought to implement a new pedagogy in what, for them, were uncharted waters. With few models to emulate and variable support from their immediate educational settings, the educators agreed to work with the researchers in a collaborative researcher-teacher narrative inquiry project. The educators kept a journal of their pedagogical thinking and subsequently unpacked their thinking in individual interviews and focus group discussions.