We are a team of four researchers dedicated to explore and promote young children’s relationalities and responsibilities with nature. Our research focuses on investigating and developing the concept of ecological imagination in early years environmental education. Our project integrates perspectives from diverse fields of research, including multiliteracies, ecoliteracy, environmental aesthetics and emotional literacy. We develop pedagogical models that draw on arts-based approaches, digital storying, cultural nature stories and concepts of design.
The origins of the ECHOing research group stem from two major research projects of the Playful Learning Center at the University of Helsinki: Namely, the “the Joy of Learning Multiliteracies” (MOI) research and development program funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and “Digital mediation of children’s interactions with the more-than-human world: Perezhivaniya and literate practices” research project funded by the Australian Research Council (in collaboration with Professor Peter Renshaw and Dr. Ron Tooth, University of Queensland). At present, our work is supported by the “Children’s ecological imagination and its pedagogical enhancement at the intersection of cultural stories and augmented reality technologies” research project funded by KONE Foundation and “Exploring children’s aesthetic experiences and collective aesthetic reflection in nature through arts-based methods” PhD research project funded by the Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation.
The ECHOing project is funded by:
Australian Research Council
KONE foundation
Nessling foundation
Academy of Finland
ECHOing’s network:
Learning, Culture and Interventions (LECI) expert group
Digichild – Nordic Research Network on Digitalising Childhoods
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