Reviving botany in the curriculum: the botanical journey of two Western Australian early childhood teachers

• Published in: Australian journal of environmental education 2023-06, Vol.39 (2), p.166-180
• Main Authors: Beasley, Kimberley, Hesterman, Sandra, Lee-Hammond, Libby
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aboriginal knowledge; Botany; Case studies; Child development; Children; Curricula; Curriculum Development; Data analysis; Data collection; Early childhood education; Early Childhood Teachers; Earth; Ecosystems; Education; Elementary School Teachers; Environmental Education; Foreign Countries; Indigenous Knowledge; Inquiry; Interviews; Knowledge; Knowledge Level; Learning; Literacy; Mosaic Approach; Native peoples; Natural environment; Nature; Plant sciences; Plants (Botany); Positive Attitudes; Preschool children; Preschool curriculum; Preschool teachers; Primary education; Primary school students; Primary school teachers; Qualitative research; Schools; Scientific Literacy; Semi Structured Interviews; Student Evaluation; Sustainability; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Teaching practice; Time on Task; World Views; Young Children
• ISSN: 0814-0626; 2049-775X
• DOI: 10.1017/aee.2022.42

Environmental education across the early years has become increasingly important in Australia since the implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum. These documents promote a connection to nature for young children as well as environmental responsibility. In Western Australia, large areas of natural environments are bush spaces, accessible by young children, families and schools. There is no existing research investigating early childhood teacher’s knowledge of plants in these bush spaces and the utilisation of these spaces in teaching botany as part of their teaching practice. The discussion in this article examines part of a larger year-long multi-site case study of the changes in the botanical understanding of two early childhood teachers of children aged 5–8 years, in Western Australian schools both before and after the Mosaic Approach, botanical practices and Indigenous knowledges were incorporated into their teaching practice. This article focuses on the changes of botanical literacies of the early childhood teachers specifically. The findings suggest that using inquiry-based and place-based methods and including First Nations Peoples’ perspectives about plants whilst teaching in the bush can significantly increase the plant knowledge and understanding of teachers, as well their own scientific and botanical literacies.