Transforming Early Years Education in Malta: Inspiring Stories of Emergent Curriculum and Pedagogical Growth

Transforming Early Years Education in Malta: Inspiring Stories of Emergent Curriculum and Pedagogical Growth

Anna Baldacchino holds a Bachelor Degree in Child and Family Studies and a Master in Education from the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), Canada, together with a Doctorate from the University of Sheffield (UK), specialising in the Early Years. She has served as a Learning Manager at Holland College and part-time lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the UPEI, (2003-2013). She has delivered various presentations on themes relating to ​Early Childhood Education and Development in Taiwan, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Australia, Barbados and Grenada. She has a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals about Early Childhood Education. ​She is the co-founder and President of the Early Childhood Development Association of Malta (ECDAM), and co-founder of the B&B Early Years Consultancy in the Early Years. Anna currently lectures on curriculum knowledge in the early years and children in society within the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta.

Dr Charmaine Bonello is a Resident Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood and Primary Education at the University of Malta. With over 25 years of experience in early and primary education, she has worked extensively in the field since 1997. Charmaine holds a doctoral and master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Sheffield, UK. Her research interests focus on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), including Emergent Curriculum, Children’s Rights, Early Literacy, Postcolonial Education, Leadership, and Quality Interactions. She is a passionate advocate for advancing early childhood education and is the co-founder and Vice President of the Early Childhood Development Association of Malta (ECDAM) as well as the co-founder of the B&B Early Years Consultancy. She also serves as a member of the Board of Administrators of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society. She has authored and co-authored the Routledge books Boys, Early Literacy, and Children's Rights in a Postcolonial Context and An Emergent Curriculum for the Early Years in Malta: Stories of Professional and Pedagogical Transformation. Additionally, she is the co-editor of the book Educational Leadership in Transition: Innovative Perspectives and Practice for the 21st Century, in Malta and Beyond, and the international refereed journal Postcolonial Directions in Education.