Developing Competencies for Education for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Canadian Faculties of Education

Abstract

<p>Education is paramount when trying to enable a change in values and attitudes towards sustainability. Higher education in faculties of education plays an important role in working toward this change because of its impact on future and practicing teachers in the school systems. This study inquires into the current role of education for sustainable development (ESD) in undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs at Canadian universities, with a particular focus on promising practices and initiatives toward a reorientation of teacher education for sustainability. A qualitative case study approach was used identifying promising initiatives as well as challenges and enablers of reorienting teacher education toward sustainability at four Canadian universities. The discussion of results is framed by how identified initiatives relate to the development of core ESD competences for educators as established by UNECE (2012). The results of the study suggest the importance of experiential, inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional learning, of problem-based learning around real-life issues with community and the natural environment, and of building partnerships with colleagues, students, and community organizations.</p

Achieving and Monitoring Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…Studies also reported other challenges and constraints which affected the implementation of sustainable development education programs, initiatives, and goals. Pre-service teacher education that prioritizes ESD, ongoing in-service teacher training and support related to the practical use of ESD tools, in addition to teachers' perceptions of the feasibility of implementing ESD into lesson times, may influence the implementation of ESD [24,33]. In one study, the amount of time and school support necessary to integrate new teaching methods and content related to ESD hindered teachers' implementation of an ESD toolkit [33].…”

“…In one study, the amount of time and school support necessary to integrate new teaching methods and content related to ESD hindered teachers' implementation of an ESD toolkit [33]. Other studies found that the limited duration of ESD projects and programs may also play an important role in the extent to which ESD is integrated into future teaching and learning [24,25,34].…”

“…Spahiu and Lindemann-Matthies [33] write that supportive pre-service teacher education and in-service teacher training may increase teachers' confidence in integrating and implementing ESD, and may also increase teachers' capacity to create their own locally relevant ESD program and projects (p. 8062). Finally, Sims and Falkenberg [24] suggest inclusive collaboration with teachers in addition to supportive leadership may help the process of "reorienting teacher education towards sustainability" (p. 12).…”

“…More specifically, these skills, behaviors and dispositions include critical, creative and innovative reflection and the ability to analyze national and local issues for their relevance to global sustainability, as well as a willingness and motivation to be actively involved in and engaged with local issues, and to make positive contributions to real-world sustainability problems (e.g., [22][23][24][25]). One program aimed at reconciliation between communities for protecting their common natural resource (i.e., [26]).…”

Considering Transversal Competences, Personality and Reputation in the Context of the Teachers’ Professional Development

“…De Haan's competence model has served a purpose also as a model for connecting with competences of lifelong learning, such as the OECD's competence framework (2005 as part-competencies of Gestaltungsskompetenz) and is noticeable in the ENSI approach. Previous studies on teacher competences for ESD have often included the development of the models themselves (Wals, 2010;Sims & Falkenberg, 2013). Rieckmann (2012) compares European and Latin-American estimations of the 12 Gestaltungs-competences whose results point out to a different view of the meaning of individual competences, but simultaneously to the common points with other development models of competence development (Adomßent & Hoffmann, 2013, p. 4).…”