An Emergent Curriculum for the Early Years in Malta
The President and Vice President of ECDAM, Eurochild member, together with Prof Carmen Dalli published a book featuring "Stories of Professional and Pedagogical Transformation" in the early years.
On 21 February 2025, Dr Charmaine Bonello, Dr Anna Baldacchino and Prof Carmen Dalli held an event in collaboration with another Eurochild member, the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, to launch the book 'An Emergent Curriculum for the Early Years in Malta: Stories of Professional and Pedagogical Transformation'. This inspiring gathering brought together 200 attendees who, through their presence, demonstrated their commitment to the best interests of all children.
At the event children shared their experiences in childcare, kindergarten, and early primary settings, showcasing how child-led learning fosters creativity, independence, and a strong sense of belonging.
The book which was pre-launched at the Eurochild Conference 2024 in Malta, features best practices and explores the experiences of seven educators from diverse local contexts and cultures in Maltese early years settings (0–7 years) as they transitioned from a prescriptive curriculum to one co-constructed and co-owned by both educators and children, fostering child participation in curriculum development.
Grounded in social constructivist theory, the study captures educators' narratives as they implemented this rights-based curriculum shift. Through thematic analysis of textual data, ECDAM identified key themes, including how the emergent curriculum approach reshaped educators' views on learning, translated child participation into practice, and led to both successes and challenges in pedagogy and early childhood learning.
The message of the children who participated is clear: "See me, hear me, involve me, engage me, embrace my right to be heard and to play. Use my ideas and interests to develop the curriculum with me, because this is how I learn best, feel happy, empowered, trusted, and loved. This is how I build strong relationships and become my true self."