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Introduction

In 2019, the Swedish national curriculum for pre-school education (Lpfö18) was revised and for the first time sustainability was included in the curriculum. Education for sustainability (EfS) have been described as an overriding idea under the heading “Sustainable Development, Health and Well-Being” (Swedish National Agency for Education, 2018, p.  9). The curriculum describes sustainable development in a holistic way with an ecologic, economic, and social dimension. Teaching is also a new concept in the curriculum, although it has been included in the Swedish education law since 2010 (SFS 2010:800).  Therefore, it is important to investigate how the concept of teaching has been included in the curriculum.

Research Question

The aim of this study is to investigate how the concept of teaching in relation to sustainability has been addressed in the new curriculum for preschool Lpfö 2018 in Sweden and also how preschool teachers integrate sustainability in their teaching.

Methodology

Using content analysis, we have analyzed how the concept of teaching has been addressed in the preschool curriculum in relation to education for sustainability. A contextual analysis was also conducted that involved an interpretation of the meaning of concepts. In addition, using semi-structured interview question, a pilot study has been conducted with three preschool teachers to explore how they view teaching for sustainability in preschool. 

Findings

Our study indicates that not only that Lpfö 18 describes sustainability from a holistic perspective, but also that teaching for sustainability now becomes clear in the curriculum, both that it should be included in the preschool's activities and how it should be done[A1] . The curriculum used terms such as participation, challenge, experience, and development when describing learning and often using the word together in the same sentence. These words show that children should be involved and challenged, in teaching, by practically creating their own understanding of what sustainability is and what they can do to create sustainability. 

The findings from the pilot study show that the preschool teachers use some figures to make their teaching of sustainability more interesting for children. They also include other methods such as investigation, participation, games, and theatre in their teaching practices. Practical activities they do with children can be recycling, and reuse. 

Conclusion & recommendations for theory and practice and possible References

The findings indicate that the concept of teaching in relation to sustainability has been explicitly mentioned in the preschool curriculum Lpfö 19. The curriculum provides a holistic view of sustainability and that EfS takes place in preschool teaching.