Embedding sustainability in pre-service teacher education: Problems and possibilities of a systems approach

  Education systems have a key role to play in preparing future citizens to engage in sustainable living practices and help create a more sustainable world. Many schools throughout Australia have begun to develop whole-school approaches to sustainability education that are supported by national and state policies and curriculum frameworks. Pre-service teacher education, however, lags behind in building the capacity of new teachers to initiate and implement such approaches (ARIES, 2010). This paper discusses a state-wide system-based project and strategy for embedding education for sustainability (EfS) in the teacher education system in Queensland that is aligned with the Australian National Curriculum and the aspirations for EfS in the Melbourne Declaration and other national documents. Our approach connected key agents of change across all Queensland universities, government and non-government educational organisations, including teacher educators, policy makers in Education Queensland and the Queensland College of Teachers and representatives from the Australian Association for Environmental Education and Australian Tertiary Educators’ Association. Outcomes of the research include a revised state-wide systems model for embedding EfS in teacher education, supporting case studies at the state and institutional levels, guidelines for implementation, and the establishment of a national network of teacher educators working to embed EfS in teacher education. Here we provide an overview of the curriculum strategies, examples, insights and resources that can serve as a model for others interested in embedding EfS or other cross-curricular fields within teacher education.