Understanding Education for Sustainable Development in the Anthropocene Era

Objectives The purpose of this study is to critically examine trends and educational discourses related to education for sustainable development over the past 10 years in the field of early childhood education, analyze related issues, and derive educational implications. Methods To this end, Chapter II expands the spectrum of thinking about sustainability, Chapter III analyzes the meaning of the educational discourse on sustainability discussed through the literature, and Chapter IV examines the implications for early childhood education for education for sustainable development in Korea and describes suggestions for future directions in Chapter V. Results As a result, the discourse on education for sustainable development in the field of early childhood education is as follows. First, it is important to recognize and approach sustainability, sustainable development, and education for sustainable development as a paradigm shift and new life orientation across education rather than an additional dimension of new subject areas. Second, it should be clarified that education for sustainable development is rooted in environmental education in the history of conceptual origin and practice, but now it is a concept that has expanded and evolved beyond just environmental education. Third, in order to settle in school education, it is essential that the core values and contents must be reflected in the national early childhood curriculum. Fourth, the perspective of looking at a child as an active subject of change emphasized in education for sustainable development should be understood in the context of expanding children's right to participate. Furthermore, in order to find a solution to early childhood education on sustainability based on the analysis of issues inherent in the main discourse, it was tried to examine the implications of various aspects such as understanding the paradigm shift from a posthuman-centered perspective, neo-materialistic relationalism, and community-based perspective, understanding the educational paradigm shift, meaning of the national-level curriculum, connection with global citizenship education, localization of the curriculum, and teacher education. Conclusions In conclusion, it will be possible to explore how early childhood education for sustainability should be understood and redirected in the future.