Learning for Wisdom in Early Childhood and Primary School Education (Routledge Research in Early Childhood Education)

This book explores how wisdom can be cultivated through learning in the early years and primary schooling. It brings together diverse traditions and practices, showing how children’s encounters with nature, stories, and community can nurture curiosity, resilience, and ethical awareness, resonating across cultures and generations.

The chapters weave together case studies and approaches that highlight the richness of learning for wisdom. Philosophical inquiry into wisdom can develop a child’s social, imaginative, cogitative, cognitive, intellectual, moral, emotional and spiritual skills – helping to bring their sense (and sensitivity) of wisdom to life in practice. Forest-based education demonstrates how outdoor environments foster imagination and ecological responsibility. Bibliotherapy illustrates the power of stories to support emotional growth and empathy. Social–emotional learning and whole school initiatives show how communities can embed wisdom into everyday practice. Perspectives from Australian Indigenous traditions emphasise relationality and respect, while Chinese approaches highlight continuity, moral formation, and dialogue. Together, these examples span geographical and temporal contexts, offering readers a tapestry of methods that connect ancient insights with contemporary classrooms, and practical strategies like the Wisdom Wheel.

Accessible and inspiring, this collection is designed for educators, researchers, and general readers seeking fresh ways to enrich early years and primary education. By weaving together diverse traditions and practices, it offers groundbreaking insights into how learning can cultivate wisdom — transforming early years and primary education into a foundation for lifelong flourishing.

Its sister volume, Teaching for Wisdom in Early Childhood and Primary School Education: Educators’ Practices and Pedagogies, demonstrates how educators can nurture children's curiosity, ethical reflection, and resilience in the early years and primary schooling.

Kristina Turner is a Senior Lecturer in Evidence-Based Pedagogy at La Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia. Her research explores positive psychology, wellbeing, emotional intelligence, and wisdom in education, including pioneering work on how teachers’ use of positive psychology practices influences their wellbeing, teaching practice and student learning.

Eri Mountbatten-O’Malley is Senior Lecturer in Education at Bath Spa University, United Kingdom. Eri’s work, such as Human flourishing: A Conceptual Analysis (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024), explores educational issues through a philosophical lens—examining the purposes of education, challenges during the Age of AI, and the practical value of philosophical insight.

Zane M. Diamond, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia, researches wisdom traditions and innovative approaches to early years and primary learning. Her books, such as Leading and Managing Indigenous Education in the Postcolonial World (Routledge, 2015) and numerous journal articles, explore equity, cultural dialogue, and transformative pedagogy.

Peter J. Anderson, Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous at UNE, Australia, researches Indigenous rights-based approaches, ethical AI, and decolonial pedagogies. His book, Higher Degree by Research Factors for Indigenous Student Success (Springer, 2022), and his chapter, 'Enacting Indigenous Wisdom in Education: Beyond Rhetoric to Rights-Based Praxis', alongside numerous journal articles, explore Indigenous self-determination, data sovereignty, and transformative education.