Supporting Early Childhood Education in Blue Skills with Generative Artificial Intelligence. A TPACK-aligned RAG platform that empowers ECEC educators to teach marine sustainability — even outside their direct expertise.
The blue economy generates $1.5 trillion annually and is expected to double by 2030. Maritime industries contribute approximately 15% of Malta's GDP, yet a recognised shortage of maritime professionals persists — rooted in insufficient investment in maritime education starting from early childhood.
Existing environmental programmes like "Dinja Waħda" and "Fish Fridays" are designed for older children, operate as short-term interventions, and overlook a fundamental barrier: educators' own knowledge gaps regarding blue skills.
SELBI addresses this gap at its foundation. By developing a locally hosted, RAG-based generative AI platform anchored in the TPACK framework, we equip early childhood educators with a digital "more knowledgeable other" — an expert pedagogical partner that scaffolds their capacity to teach complex marine science concepts to children aged 3–7.
The platform doesn't replace teachers. It empowers them — reducing cognitive load while preserving professional agency in pedagogical decision-making.
How SELBI operationalises Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge for blue skills education in early childhood settings.
Learn moreNationwide survey of 137 ECEC educators plus two-phase expert evaluation with near-perfect validation scores.
See findingsA €5K local workstation running open-weight models with full data sovereignty — no cloud dependency.
View architectureConference proceedings, journal submissions, and media coverage documenting the SELBI journey.
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