Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Teacher Education for Sustainable Development: Past, Present and Future

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Teaching Education for Sustainable Development at University Level

Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

Abstract

Since the earliest formulations of the UN goals for environmental education (EE) at the Belgrade conference (1975), through the reconceptualization of education for sustainable development (ESD) at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (2002), to The Future We Want (2012), teacher education—at pre-service and in-service levels and across primary and secondary education—has been regarded as being essential for achieving sustainable development. In response, the UNESCO-UNEP International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) published prototypes for teacher education at elementary and middle school levels in the 1980s, and UNESCO published Guidelines and Recommendations for Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability (Hopkins and McKeown 2005) and continues to support related programmes. However, despite these many attempts, there is recurring testimony to the almost universal lack of success in introducing coherent or consistent programmes of EE/ESD into teacher education courses. This essay discusses these and other strategies for re-orienting teacher education through pedagogy and whole school system approaches while acknowledging that the teacher education institutions themselves are often the biggest obstacles.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Beckford, C. (2008). Re-orienting environmental education in teacher education programs in Ontario. Journal of Teaching and Learning, 5(1), 55–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breiting, S., Mayer, M., & Mogensen, F. (2005). Quality criteria for ESD-schools: Guidelines to enhance the quality of education for sustainable development. Vienna: Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Art and Culture.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinkman, F. G., & Scott, W. A. H. (1996). Reviewing a European union initiative on environmental education within programmes of pre-service teacher education. Environmental Education Research, 2(1), 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dippo, D. (2013). Preservice teaching and pedagogies of transformation. In R. McKeown & V. Nolet (Eds.), Schooling for sustainable development in Canada and the United States (pp. 69–78). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Down, L. (2006). Addressing the challenges of mainstreaming education for sustainable development in higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 7(4), 390–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira J., Ryan L., Davis J., Cavanagh M., & Thomas J. (2009). Mainstreaming sustainability into pre-service teacher education in Australia. Canberra: Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability for the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, J., Ryan, L., & Tilbury, D. (2006). Whole-school approaches to sustainability: A review of models for professional development in pre-service teacher education. Sydney: Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability for the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fien, J. (1995). Teaching for a sustainable world: The environmental and development education project for teacher education. Environmental Education Research, 1(1), 21–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fien, J. (1998). Sustaining action research and professional development in teacher education for sustainability: A case study from Asia and the Pacific. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 7(3), 251–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glasson, G. E., Frykholm, J. A., Mhango, N. A., & Phiri, A. D. (2006). Understanding the earth systems of Malawi: Ecological sustainability, culture and place-based education. Science Education, 90(4), 660–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gooch, M., Rigano, D., Hickey, R., & Fien, J. (2008). How do primary pre-service teachers in a regional Australian university plan for teaching, learning and acting in environmentally responsible ways? Environmental Education Research, 14(2), 175–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gough, A. (1998). Researching environmental education in teacher education: Initiating and sustaining student interest. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 7(3), 260–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gough, A. (1999). Recognising women in environmental education pedagogy and research: Towards an ecofeminist poststructuralist perspective. Environmental Education Research, 5(2), 143–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, P., & Kirk, G. (2002). Teacher education, outdoor education and sustainability in Scotland. Planet, 4, 8–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, C., & McKeown, R. (2005). Guidelines and recommendations for reorienting teacher education to address sustainability. Education for Sustainable Development in Action Technical Paper No.2. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyburz-Graber, R., Robottom, I., Posch, P., & Hart, P. (Eds.). (2006). Reflective practice in teacher education learning from case studies of environmental education. Bern: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lotz-Sisitka, H. (2012). National case study: Teacher professional development with an education for sustainable development focus in South Africa: Development of a network, curriculum framework and resources for teacher education. In Working Document Presented at the Triennale on Education and Training in Africa, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 7–12 February.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcinkowski, T. J., Volk, T. L., & Hungerford, H. R. (1990). An environmental education approach to the training of middle level teachers: A prototype programme. UNESCO-UNEP International Environmental Education Programme Environmental Education Series No. 30. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKeown, R. (2014). The leading edge of teacher education and ESD. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 8(2), 127–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKeown, R. & Hopkins, C. (2002). “Weaving sustainability into pre-service teacher education programs”. In W. Leal Filho (Ed.), Teaching sustainability at universities: Towards curriculum greening (pp. 251–274). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKeown, R., & Nolet, V. (2013). Education for sustainable development in Canada and the United States. In R. McKeown & V. Nolet (Eds.), Schooling for sustainable development in Canada and the United States (pp. 3–21). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKeown-Ice, R. (2000). Environmental education in the United States: A survey of preservice teacher education programs. The Journal of Environmental Education, 32(1), 4–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulà, I., & Tilbury, D. (Eds.). (2011). National journeys towards education for sustainable development 2011: Reviewing national ESD experiences from Chile, Indonesia, Kenya, The Netherlands, Oman. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nolet, V. (2013). Teacher education and ESD in the United States: The vision, challenges, and implementation. In R. McKeown & V. Nolet (Eds.), Schooling for sustainable development in Canada and the United States (pp. 53–67). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, A., Tilbury, D., Corcoran, P. B., Abe, O., & Nomura, K. (2010). Sustainability in higher education in the Asia-Pacific: Developments, challenges, and prospects. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 11(2), 106–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephens, D. (2012). A critical overview of education for sustainable development with particular focus upon the development of quality teacher education in sub-Saharan Africa. In R. Griffin (Ed.), Teacher education in sub-saharan Africa: Closer perspectives (pp. 91–109). Oxford: Symposium Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thaman, K. H. (2010). Teacher capacities for working towards peace and sustainable development. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 11(4), 353–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Belgrade Charter. (1975). Reprinted in Connect, I(1), 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (1978). Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education: Tbilisi (USSR), 14–26 October 1977. Final Report. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2002). Teaching and learning for a sustainable future. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2004). United nations decade of education for sustainable development 2005–2014. Draft international implementation scheme. October 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2005). United nations decade of education for sustainable development (2005–2014): International implementation scheme. ED/DESD/2005/PI/01.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2008). Overcoming inequality: Why governance matters. EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009 summary. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2013). National journeys towards education for sustainable development 2013: Reviewing national ESD experiences from Costa Rica, Morocco, South Africa, Sweden, Vietnam. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO Bangkok. (2007). Monitoring and assessing progress during the UNDESD in the Asia-Pacific region: A quick guide to developing national ESD indicators. Bangkok: UNESCO Bangkok.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. (1993). Agenda 21: Earth summit: The united nations programme of action from rio. New York: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. (2012). The future we want: Outcomes document adopted at Rio+20. Rio de Janeiro: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wals, A. (2009). Review of contexts and structures for education for sustainable development 2009. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wals, A., & Nolan, C. (2012). Shaping the education of tomorrow: 2012 report on the UN decade of education for sustainable development, abridged. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

An earlier version of this essay was presented at the 12th UNESCO-APEID International Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, 24–26 March 2009.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, RMIT University, Bundoora Victoria, PO Box 71, Melbourne, VIC, 3083, Australia

    Annette Gough

Authors
  1. Annette Gough
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annette Gough .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Metropolitan University, HAW Hamburg and Manchester, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. University of Malta, Msida, Malta

    Paul Pace

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Gough, A. (2016). Teacher Education for Sustainable Development: Past, Present and Future. In: Leal Filho, W., Pace, P. (eds) Teaching Education for Sustainable Development at University Level. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32928-4_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation