Abstract
The main objective of this research was to demonstrate the integration of international and national strategies in education for sustainable development and global citizenship into initial teacher training. The researchers analyzed the outcomes of a feminist teaching strategy based on family trees, focusing on the usefulness of social science pedagogy in developing critical thinking among pupils. They also attempted to enhance teachers’ digital literacy and make progress in reflecting on its functioning and use. The research used mixed methods, and the research instrument was a questionnaire using Likert-type scales validated by specialists from several universities. It was deployed in the module Didáctica del Conocimiento del Medio Social y Medioambiental (Pedagogy of Knowledge of the Social and Cultural Environment) of the Bachelor’s Degree in Pre-Primary Education at the University of Alicante. Using historical research with a gender perspective, the trainee teachers investigated their family trees, focusing on the women in their families. They also carried out a speculative exercise to aid reflection on their contributions as teachers in support of equal education. The results obtained showed that this was a novel and useful educational activity, which inspired participants to work for a fair and democratic global citizenship based on coeducation.
Highlights
Social science pedagogy must educate students in fostering critical thinking based on social justice and democracy in order to build the foundations for democratic citizenship [1]
We must take into account that this teaching strategy was implemented against the backdrop of a global pandemic, which increased the isolation experienced by older people—we must not forget that the vast majority of students opted to interview their grandmothers—and, in many cases, these interviews were carried out by phone or video call after months of isolation
As we pointed out at the start of our paper, social science pedagogy aligns itself with the international framework that defines the aims and objectives of education for our societies based on critical, responsible, and sustainable citizenship education, as set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [8], implemented through the 17 Sustainable
Summary
Social science pedagogy must educate students in fostering critical thinking based on social justice and democracy in order to build the foundations for democratic citizenship [1].Students’ critical understanding of an increasingly diverse society [2] needs to be nurtured—a critical understanding based on social justice, promoting active, responsible participation in constructing social alternatives [3,4,5].Training in critical thinking is a useful strategy for responding to the current crisis in education. Many pressing social issues today (such as the resurgence of extreme nationalism, xenophobic and homophobic policies, forced migrations, the deepening of social, gender-based, and economic inequalities, and the climate emergency) are reaching young people through media and social networks, with all the shortcomings of these channels, and often without young people being able to select or interpret this information, much less connect it to what they learn in school, as [6] indicates For these and other reasons, [7] says, education must contribute to strengthening society based on coexistence, solidarity, respect, and mutual aid.
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