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Children’s social exclusion in the classroom is a threat to the sustainability of education. Teachers should be sensitised to this issue, which raises important implications for teacher education. This paper reports on an action research study in the context of pre-service teacher education aimed at enriching prospective early childhood educators’ perspectives on children’s social exclusion in the classroom and heightening their awareness of themselves as key figures in reducing it. A teacher capable of dealing with children’s social exclusion was the focus of investigation. The students engaged in envisioning through negotiation of meaning in written critical discourse with peers in an e-learning environment (google.docs spreadsheet). Qualitative content analysis of students’ writings suggests viewing pre-service teachers’ professional development towards readiness to address children’s social exclusion in the classroom as movement along a continuum. The study also implies that the performed action research was transformative in that it contributed to a heightened awareness of children’s social exclusion in the classroom among prospective early childhood educators and their awakened commitment to become teachers capable of addressing this problem.

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the body of practical knowledge about reorienting teacher education to address sustainability by reflecting on an action research experience from a study course on sustainability in a regional university. Design/methodology/approach – It contemplates the usage of aesthetic learning to activate pre-service teachers’ presentational knowing about inclusion and exclusion – modes of relationships which are essentially sustainable and unsustainable, respectively. The research participants are involved in creation, interpretation and discussion of drawings-cum-concept-maps about inclusive and exclusionary relationships in social and educational contexts. Findings – The participants are found to express their knowledge through presentational forms such as colour, spatial alignment, direction and mimicry. Research limitations/implications – This qualitative study being an action research into the particulars of a specific situation precludes abstract generalisation. Yet it is hoped that the findings may illuminate related concerns in similar contexts as educators seek inspiration and guidance for improving their practices of implementing teacher education for sustainability. Originality/value – The paper proposes aesthetic learning as a means to involve pre-service teachers in active generation of personally meaningful and practically applicable insights, enabling communication of complex ideas and fostering emotional engagement with peers. It is also suggested as a pathway towards accessing, exploring and, potentially, enriching the participants’ assumptions about relational issues such as inclusion and exclusion as pre-service teachers strive to make personal sense of what it means to live sustainably.

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