Transformative Learning and Pedagogical Approaches in Education for Sustainable Development: Are Initial Teacher Education Programmes in England and Turkey Ready for Creating Agents of Change for Sustainability?

Douglas Bourn,Nese Soysal

doi:10.3390/su13168973

Douglas Bourn, Nese Soysal

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168973

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Aug 11, 2021
Citations: 8	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University College London

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a feature of academic and policy debates within initial teacher education around the world. A theme within these debates is the extent to which ESD is more than just a body of knowledge, and if it suggests different pedagogical approaches which may be prevalent in most countries. Another feature of these debates is whether ESD can be seen as suggesting a transformative approach as opposed to a transmissive approach. As a qualitative study, using examples from research and evidence gathered in England and Turkey through document analysis, this article identifies both the opportunities and challenges for teacher education courses using ESD as a means for promoting a distinctive pedagogical approach and whether they can be seen as posing transformative learning.

Highlights

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a feature of academic and policy debates within initial teacher education around the world
There are a number of reasons for this, the leadership provided by UNESCO, most notably through the Decade of ESD, the references in the United Nations (UN, New York, NY, USA), the Sustainable Development Goals and more recent campaigns and initiatives by thousands of young people around the world on climate change
Results are presented in two parts as the extent to which programmes promote distinctive pedagogical approaches and the extent to which they promote transformative approaches regarding the case of England and Turkey

Summary

Introduction

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a feature of academic and policy debates within initial teacher education around the world. ESD is more than just a body of knowledge, and if it suggests different pedagogical approaches which may be prevalent in most countries. Another feature of these debates is whether ESD can be seen as suggesting a transformative approach as opposed to a transmissive approach. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a major theme of educational programmes in many countries around the world in the twenty-first century. The focus on this area reflects the recognition that for ESD to have any impact, it needs to be embedded within classroom practice and the approaches of teachers

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