Competences for Education for Sustainable Development in Teacher Education

Abstract

Competences are intensively discussed in the context of cross-curricular themes, such as Sustainable Development and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), especially in light of the United Nations Decade for ESD (2004–2015). Recent literature on ESD lists a number of competences for ESD in various fields with the exception of teacher education. A competencemodel for ESD for educators was generated in the Austrian research project KOM-BiNE (Competences for ESD in Teacher Education) as part of a large-scale EU project. The KOM-BiNE competence model consists of areas of competences within fields of action. The constituent elements of the competence model are described in detail and are illustrated with examples.

Teachers’ Professional Action Competence in Education for Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review from the Perspective of Physical Education

“…The inductive content analysis of teaching principles in the review sample revealed a set of nine ESD-specific teaching principles (Table 3). According to the analyzed papers, adherence to these principles should empower learners "to take independently justified decisions based on differentiated knowledge and reflected values" [68] (p. 20). A differentiated explanation of each of these principles may be found in Supplement D.…”

“…However, with the broad target group of "all educators" it adopts a rather broad understanding of competence, including overarching KSCs as well as some rather specific competences for the educational context. [11] and adopted by Rauch and Steiner [68], conceptualizes the teacher as an individual who is in a dynamic relationship with her or his students, colleagues and the broader society. It is a profession-specific approach relating to schoolteachers.…”

“…However, it is "not based on individuals, but on a group whose members pool their competencies (sic.) for ESD in specific projects or issues and act as a team" [68] (p. 16). Due to its complex nature, it lacks clarification regarding specific competences necessary for planning and implementing concrete learning situations by individual teachers [10].…”

Student Teachers’ Sustainable Behavior

“…Teachers are perceived as professionals in their field of work, individuals with social responsibility, and learning models with a public educational function, e.g., [7,8]. Furthermore, (student) teachers are expected to possess: (I) knowledge of the most crucial sustainability issues and topics, (II) skills to act in a sustainable way, and (III) attitudes and values that direct them to act sustainably [3,9].…”

“…Why is it important to determine whether our (student) teachers behave in a sustainable manner? It has been argued that, in order to implement ESD successfully, teachers should be the advocates of sustainable living that is characterized not only by acquiring knowledge and positive attitudes toward sustainable development, but also behaving sustainably [8,25]. Therefore, the behavioral dimension is fundamental to ESD as it reflects teachers' understanding of the relationship between people and planet.…”