ERIC Number: EJ1067546
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1927-6044
EISSN: N/A
Developing Competencies for Education for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Canadian Faculties of Education
Sims, Laura; Falkenberg, Thomas
International Journal of Higher Education, v2 n4 p1-14 2013
Education is paramount when trying to enable a change in values and attitudes towards sustainability. Higher education in faculties of education plays an important role in working toward this change because of its impact on future and practicing teachers in the school systems. This study inquires into the current role of education for sustainable development (ESD) in undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs at Canadian universities, with a particular focus on promising practices and initiatives toward a reorientation of teacher education for sustainability. A qualitative case study approach was used identifying promising initiatives as well as challenges and enablers of reorienting teacher education toward sustainability at four Canadian universities. The discussion of results is framed by how identified initiatives relate to the development of core ESD competences for educators as established by UNECE (2012). The results of the study suggest the importance of experiential, inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional learning, of problem-based learning around real-life issues with community and the natural environment, and of building partnerships with colleagues, students, and community organizations.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Schools of Education, Teacher Education, Sustainable Development, Qualitative Research, Case Studies, Sustainability, Interdisciplinary Approach, Experiential Learning, Partnerships in Education, Semi Structured Interviews, Graduate Study, Undergraduate Study
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada; Canada (Toronto)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A