Training in Mathematics Education from a Sustainability Perspective: A Case Study of University Teachers’ Views

Abstract

Humankind is faced with major global challenges to ensure the future of our planet. Target 4.7 of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education) of the 2030 Agenda establishes the importance of ensuring that all learners acquire the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to promote sustainable development through education for sustainable development, human rights, gender equality, and global citizenship, amongst others. The research presented in this article is based on an exploratory study on the views of a group of university teachers from the area of Didactics of Mathematics in the Faculty of Education Sciences at Universidad de Cádiz with regard to Education for Sustainability and its integration in the field of training future teachers in mathematics education. It aims to analyse the perceptions teachers have regarding the subject of study, the work methodologies they use, etc. in greater depth. The authors of the research later interviewed three teachers in the area of Didactics of Mathematics who teach in different education degrees: bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, bachelor’s degree in primary education, and master’s degree in teacher training for compulsory secondary education and baccalaureate. Three instruments were used to collect data: the syllabi of the subjects for which the teachers were responsible, an initial exploratory questionnaire, and a semi-structured personal interview. The instrument employed to analyse the information was the Tool for Methodological Analysis through Sustainability (Herramienta de Análisis Metodológico desde la Sostenibilidad, HAMS in Spanish). The results show the different views and positions the university teachers in the area of Didactics of Mathematics at Universidad de Cádiz have with respect to integrating sustainability into future teachers’ training in mathematics education. It is concluded that the effective integration of sustainability into mathematics education requires university teachers to change and to work together from the same perspective—the one they intend to promote.

The representation of sustainability among university teachers: knowing the present to change the future

“…This perception leads them to view themselves as incapable of training their students (Brito et al , 2018b). This is also congruent with recent evidence showing a greater integration of sustainability in teaching when teachers have received the relevant training (Moreno-Pino et al , 2022). In general, teachers perceive that the training they receive to implement sustainability in teaching is inadequate, positively valuing its inclusion in the catalog of continuing education offered by the university (Aznar-Minguet et al , 2017).…”

“…For this reason, the teacher's social representations about sustainability described herein suggest that when a HEI take sustainability as a primary goal their teaching staff achieve an awareness about the concept. As suggested in the previous literature (Moreno-Pino et al, 2022;Olaskoaga-Larrauri et al, 2021), the teacher's awareness about sustainability leads to its integration in their teaching, which, in turn, will also have an impact on society by training future practitioners.…”

“…Therefore, the inclusion of sustainability in the university is shaped by important factors such as the faculty's conception of sustainability and the training of teachers in this area (Solís-Espallargas et al, 2019). As previous research shows, there is a strong relationship between teachers' perception of the importance of sustainability and their willingness to integrate this concept (Olaskoaga-Larrauri et al, 2021) and between prior training on sustainability and its inclusion in teaching (Moreno-Pino et al, 2022). We understand their representations of sustainability as having four fundamental functions, namely, a knowledge function, enabling understanding and communication; an orientation function, guiding behavior and practices; a legitimization function, justifying positions and behavior; and an identity function, enabling social groups to define their identity (Serrano Oswald, 2013).…”

“…In any case, some authors claim social commitment is inherent to HEIs, which should strive to promote it among their student body (Solís-Espallargas et al , 2019). This interest in more ethical models, evident in the fields of educational sciences (Ruiz-Morales et al , 2021), should be incorporated (which has already begun), into other fields of experimental sciences (Moreno-Pino et al , 2022).…”

Sustainable Learning, Cognitive Gains, and Improved Attitudes in College Algebra Flipped Classrooms

“…With an exception of Summer's (2020) exploration of how a sustainable primary mathematics education ought to be implemented [33], other works that intersect between sustainability and mathematics education usually concentrate around ESD instead of SLE, e.g., [34][35][36][37][38][39]. By suggesting concrete pedagogical initiatives to tackle primary students' challenges in learning mathematics, Summer (2020) demonstrated that quality education and competent teachers not only decrease their learning difficulties but also equip children with essential mathematical and critical thinking skills [33].…”