Preservice Teachers’ Visions for Action-Oriented Pedagogies for Sustainability Education

• In Event: Education for Planetary Futures (Part 2): Disrupting, Reimagining, and Co-Designing Pedagogies on the Edge

Proposal

Our study on preservice teachers' (PSTs') approaches to action-oriented pedagogies for sustainability education clearly aligns with the emphasis on alternatives created through participatory praxis across social spheres. Examining how educators might use digital technologies to promote justice-oriented learning experiences that cross traditional classroom boundaries is essential as we navigate an era where these technologies are further shaping educational practices. Our research addresses the pressing need for pedagogies that enable students to engage in collective, ethically informed actions that contribute to sustainable futures (Weinberg et al., 2020; Sadler et al., 2007). We contribute to larger discussions on how education systems may be reconfigured to promote participatory, transformative practices in service of a just world by concentrating on how PSTs conceptualize sustainability education.

This research investigates the ways preservice teachers envision enacting sustainability learning in their future classrooms using Action-Oriented Pedagogies (AOP). AOP empowers students as active learners and change-makers, engaging them in impactful work with real-world consequences as they strive for more ecologically and socially just futures (Weinberg, 2024). This approach nurtures hope and agency for both students and teachers as they drive meaningful action to co-create sustainable community change (Tannock, 2021; Wiseman, 2021a, 2021b).

AOP employs a cyclical process of envisioning preferred futures, planning for collaborative impacts, and taking agentive action (Figure 1). The framework outlines six possible student roles: Advocate, Scientist, Innovator, Builder, Artist, and Solutions Steward (Figure 2). The AOP framework and possible roles guide our exploration of transdisciplinary learning and action surrounding complex sustainability challenges.

We qualitatively analyze unit plan artifacts to explore teachers' understanding and intention for implementing AOP. Data from 117 elementary preservice teachers were thematically analyzed by three researchers in MaxQDA, focusing on planning opportunities for students to take agentic, consequential action in their communities.

Findings highlight the educational activities focused on civic engagement and real-world applications, such as food drives, persuasive communications, and environmental projects. Future instruction might enhance these activities by prompting teacher candidates to seek student input and consider the impact of their communication strategies. Preservice teacher lesson plans suggest that while information sharing through posters and letters is common, actionable projects at school or community levels are less frequent and often teacher-led. Overall, the findings emphasize the importance of student-centered learning and the potential of educational activities to foster systemic change and community collaboration.

This project has significant implications for policy, education, and teaching, particularly in preservice teacher education. By examining how PSTs envision sustainability learning, our study highlights the importance of providing PSTs with opportunities to co-design and implement assignments that extend beyond the classroom and into the community. Such pedagogical approaches not only enhance the agency of preservice teachers but also create pathways for meaningful collaboration with local communities. These collaborations can lead to developing projects that address real-world sustainability challenges and becoming change agents for a more just and sustainable world (Wakefield et al., 2022; Araújo & Pedrosa, 2014; Effeney & Davis, 2013; Egger et al., 2017; Plutzer et al., 2016; Trott, 2020)

Authors

• Nicole Oster, Arizona State University

• Dilraba Anayatova, Arizona State University

• Andrea Weinberg, Arizona State University

• Michelle E Jordan, Arizona State University

• Emmanuel Adeloju, Arizona State University