Session Information
WERA SES 06 E, An International Lens on Science Education
Paper Session
Contribution
We propose to present a summary of our findings from our edited book that focuses on education for sustainability content and pedagogy in science teacher preparation as it applies to instructional practices in PreK-12 science classrooms and beyond. The contributors, who are from North America, Europe, and Australia, explore these issues from an international perspective. The book is part of a series of research compilations sponsored by the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), which is an international organization of science teacher educators.
Sustainability education goals include developing citizens that are aware of and concerned about learning ways of promoting an understanding of living within human and environmental needs and constraints (Connelly, 2002). However, in order to develop citizens that can enact sustainable practices, science teacher educators will need to prepare preservice and inservice teachers with adequate knowledge of the science behind sustainable living to ensure that their students will have opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes and commitment to sustain a healthy planet. Unfortunately, this is not a simple or a direct task. The idea of sustainability is dynamic and evolving with many interpretations. For example, various terms have been proposed for sustainability, which include environmental education, education for sustainable development, education for sustainability, and education for a sustainable future (Jucker, 2002). We refer to sustainability as educating for sustainability and we draw from the literature to determine a more refined definition of EfS and ESD. In addition, current paradigms for educating for sustainability include poverty alleviation, human rights, peace and security, cultural diversity, biodiversity, food security, clean water and sanitation, renewable energy, preservation of the environment, and sustainable use of natural resources, for example (Kilinc & Aydin, 2011). Many of these topics are controversial, value-laden, and complex (G. Corney, 2006; Winter & Firth, 2007) and can be difficult to teach, especially in science education (Spiropoulou, Antonakaki, Kontaxaki, & Bouras, 2007). Yet at the same time, many scholars and policy makers agree that it is imperative for teacher educators, specifically science teacher educators, to promote an awareness that will achieve a sustainable society (G. Corney & Reid, 2007; Ferreira, Ryan, & Tilbury, 2007; NGSS, 2013).
Educating for sustainability requires crossing borders and the cooperation of multiple groups from countries around the world. It is a joint effort between research in STEM, the social sciences and education (Khalifa & Sandholz, 2011). In this paper we will summarize the theoretical frameworks for researching educating for sustainability presented by the twenty-three research chapters in the book. In addition, we will illustrate pedagogical approaches to teaching the interrelations between humans and the global environment by demonstrating approaches to teaching about the values, behaviors and lifestyles required for a sustainable future and positive societal transformation (Corney, 2006; Winter & Firth, 2007). The authors of the book’s chapters, an international group of science teacher educators as well as science experts in the field of sustainability, have contributed and discussed many ideas and ways to address the urgent need of bringing sustainability education more purposefully into educational systems in different parts of the world. We will present these differences and explore their meanings.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Connelly, S. (2002). Public involvement in Local Agenda 21: The impact of local authority policy processes. University of Sheffield, Sheffield. Corney, G. (2006). Education for sustainable development: An empirical study of the tensions and challenges faced by geography student teachers. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 15(3), 224-240. Corney, G., & Reid, A. (2007). Student teachers’ learning about subject matter and pedagogy in education for sustainable development. Environmental Education Research, 13(1), 33-54. Ferreira, J. A., Ryan, L., & Tilbury. (2007). Mainstreaming education for sustainable development in initial teacher education in Australia: A review of existing professional development models. Journal of Education for Teaching, 33(2), 225-239. Jucker, R. (2002) "“Sustainability? Never heard of it!”: Some basics we shouldn’t ignore when engaging in education for sustainability", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 3(1), 8-18. Khalifa, M. & Sandholz, S. (2011). Breaking barriers and building bridges through networks: An innovative educational approach for sustainability. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 7(2), 343-360. Kilinc, A. & Aydin, A. (2013). Turkish student science teachers’ conceptions of sustainable development: A phenomenography. International Journal of Science Education, 35(5), 731-752. NGSS, (2013). www.nextgenscience.org Spiropoulou, D., Antonakaki, T., Kontaxaki, S., & Bouras, S. (2007). Primary teachers’ literacy and attitudes on education for sustainable development. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16(5), 443-450. Winter, C., & Firth, R. (2007). Knowledge about education for sustainable development: Four case studies of student teachers in English secondary schools. Journal of Education for Teaching, 33(3), 341-358.
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