Empathy, Reconciliation, and Sustainability Action: An Evaluation of a Three-Year Community of Practice with Early Educators

Julie Ernst (), Claire Underwood and Thelma Nayquonabe
Additional contact information
Julie Ernst: College of Education and Human Service Professions, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812, USA
Claire Underwood: Arlitt Center for Education, Research & Sustainability, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
Thelma Nayquonabe: Lac Courte Oreilles, Hayward, WI 54843, USA

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-21

Abstract: Early childhood educators are integral to shaping the knowledge, values, skills, and behaviors of young children, which in turn contribute to a more sustainable future. This qualitative evaluation reports on a three-year community of practice of 15 early educators focusing on land-based pedagogy in early education for sustainability contexts. Findings suggest participation influenced educators’ dispositions, knowledge, and teaching practices (their ways of being, knowing, and doing). Educators also provided insight into elements that made this form of professional learning impactful. We offer reflections regarding the use of the community of practice approach, stemming from these findings, which may be useful for other providers in their efforts to plan, implement, and evaluate professional learning for early education for sustainability in culturally responsive and sustaining ways.

Keywords: community of practice; early education for sustainability; empathy; Indigenous education; reconciliation; culturally sustaining pedagogy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8686/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8686/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:19:p:8686-:d:1759374

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().