Jane Spiteri

The infectious potential of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) has demanded radical responses from world leaders in attempt to minimise the outbreak. One such measure has been school closure, which impacted children and adults globally. Schools in Malta have closed on March 13th, 2020. Physical distancing has become a key component in determining a safe reopening of schools. This paper focuses on early childhood education and care (ECEC) within the context of COVID-19 and outdoor learning as a potential response for the reopening of schools amidst the pandemic. Any study released prior to mid-October 2020 that reported on literature related to outdoor learning and COVID-19 was systematically reviewed using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic review and Meta-Analysis) statement. This paper suggests outdoor learning as a tentative plan to help with the implementation of the curriculum in ECEC while reducing the risk of virus transmission via physical distancing in outdoor spaces. As a result, some suggestions are made. It concludes with offering potential directions for future research.

The world is currently experiencing the unimaginable impact of a pandemic. From one day to the other, academics at the University of Malta were forced to shift to working remotely as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Maltese islands. This paper uncovers the lived shared experiences of eight female academics (authors of this paper) who, despite the perceived challenges, considered it also as an opportunity to explore how to conduct research together through online collaboration. This paper thus presents a qualitative study grounded in a narrative inquiry of this collective experience. The collaborative work is informed by: social learning theories influenced by Vygostky; elements from feminist thinking; and literature on collaborative research, online collaboration and academic identity. Our recorded views, as participant-researchers and part of the narrative inquiry, focus on the birth and growth of what we now refer to as the ‘Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) research team’. A thematic analysis of the accounts on our experiences have led to the development of a six-tier framework, the ‘SKRIPT’ framework, for collaborative work in academia. The progressive six concepts identified refer to trust, philosophy, identity, relationships, knowledge and skills. They underpin the inception and course of our online collaborative research experience. The shared stories from which the framework emerged, aim to inspire and encourage other academics to be part of research teams and share their ‘SKRIPT’ of collaborative experiences within online spaces and beyond. Implications for future research are discussed.