Making Future Teachers More Aware of Issues Related to Sustainability: An Assessment of Best Practices

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to uncover the opinions of future teachers about whether the formative knowledge of education for sustainability received in seminars during their practicums improved their competencies in sustainability and their values in educational teaching for their future classroom practice. The study entailed qualitative research with a thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews comprising 14 questions, which were validated by 15 experts, were used to solicit the opinions of 52 future teachers with respect to the importance of sustainability and the development of intercultural competencies among their students. The information from the interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis on the basis of education for sustainable development (ESD). We conclude that the teachers’ practicum placements and training experiences were very positive because a lecturing pedagogical approach, taught via practical application in a school environment by an expert of recognized prestige, can be a useful resource to develop awareness of both sustainable development and its education, as well as to learn didactic strategies to apply ESD, which addresses aspects that are relevant in multicultural contexts, such as tolerance and empathy.

The Differences across Future Teachers Regarding Attitudes on Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development

“…Currently, there are syllabuses where ESD is being established as a specific course, not only in degrees with competence in the field of educational sciences, but also in other degrees in the field of experimental sciences [ 60 ]. In other cases, a greening of the curriculum carried out by some professors is also found [ 61 , 62 ], which deepens the knowledge acquired in previous stages, since HE should not only provide specific models of excellence in education, but also guidance to the community on social improvement and environmental sustainability in order to develop the proper competencies [ 18 , 48 , 56 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ].…”

“…This being said, reality shows that there is still a long way to go and that ESD could be implemented more extensively in university studies [ 29 , 45 , 53 , 56 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 66 ]. This is highly relevant in the case of teachers who are training to be professionals who will practice in any society where education is compulsory.…”

Quality of Higher Education through the Pursuit of Satisfaction with a Focus on Sustainability

“…Furthermore, 62.50% reported being in complete agreement with the existence of specific areas for the protection of sustainability-related materials and resources. Indeed, responsible consumption may depend on the characteristics and experiences of individuals, where both the type of training received during schooling and in other settings (such as the family setting), and their uncertainties [74] will come into play. Finally, 82.90% highlighted the importance of internet connections in higher education.…”

Experiences in Transdisciplinary Education for the Sustainable Development of the Built Environment, the ISAlab Workshop

“…In the context of this article, we identified the different disciplines within each project, and organized the student teams accordingly, creating a multidisciplinary background. Later, they structured their work through an interdisciplinary interaction where participants "integrated information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from their own disciplines of specialized knowledge to propose a solution to the problems addressed by the sustainability project, whose solutions are always beyond the scope of a single discipline [5]. The stakeholder participation, guidance, and advice should result in a transdisciplinary project when the final presentations lead to a higher understanding of the problems behind the project, which provide insights for future solutions [2].…”

“…This role of transdisciplinary education in developing critical thinking skills of engineering students is echoed in the education literature respecting architecture. For example, Olmos-Gómez [5] argues that, in addition to improving the abilities of students to think critically, recognize bias, and tolerate ambiguity, learning in a transdisciplinary environment may also clarify and reinforce disciplinary knowledge. The body of evidence offered in support of his claim includes personal observations and interpretations of student team behaviour in a bio-mimetic design course taken by both biological science and architecture students.…”