Context (archaeology)

Engineering

Ecology

Communication

Social sustainability

Biology

Sustainability

Pedagogy

Conversation

Literacy

Sustainability organizations

Sustainability science

Education for sustainable development

Paleontology

Environmental education

Political science

Sustainable development

Sociology

Equity (law)

Teacher education

Engineering ethics

Teachers College Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education

Background/Context This article explores sustainability as an emerging paradigm for pre-service preparation of teachers. Sustainability education, which is rooted in Deweyan ideas about the fundamental social purposes of schooling, attends to the tensions created by the interconnectedness of environmental, economic, and social equity systems. Sustainability education extends but does not replace environmental education or education for sustainable development, although the latter is considered a problematic idea. Purpose/ Focus of Study Nine themes that occur frequently in the sustainability discourse are explored as the basis for sustainability literacy, a complex construct validated through collection of multiple sources of evidence. Specific strategies for integrating sustainability education into the preservice preparation of teachers are linked to a framework for teacher learning that addresses curricular vision, understandings about teaching, dispositions, and professional practices. Research Design The article is an analytic essay that examines existing literature in the area of sustainability education and maps this work onto current research pertaining to the preparation of beginning teachers. Conclusions Sustainability education represents a new paradigm for the preparation of teachers. It can help new teachers develop a curricular vision that addresses the fundamental social purposes of education in the context of an uncertain 21st century. Sustainability education also can stimulate a conversation about the role of teacher education in the creation and solution of global environmental and social justice challenges.

Preparing Sustainability-Literate Teachers