Good Practices in Education for Sustainable Development: Teacher Education Institutions

The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this document and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitations of its frontiers or boundaries. Foreword Since the advent of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, UNESCO has received numerous requests for case studies that illustrate good practices in ESD. The publication of Guidelines and Recommendations for Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability (UNESCO 2005) has proven to be a popular document as countries around the world examine what it means to reorient education to address sustainability and how teacher education can contribute to that process. To encourage and facilitate such efforts, UNESCO requested that the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chair at York University in Toronto, Canada write eight case studies on education for sustainable development (ESD) and teacher education. The Chair turned to its associated International Network of Teacher-Education Institutions and requested case studies of the work they had been undertaking for the previous five years. The case studies in this document reflect individual and institutional efforts to reorient curriculum, programs, practices, and policies to address sustainability at institutions of teacher education. The studies come from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and North America. The case studies deal with professional development for in-service teachers, curriculum revision at the pre-service level, research with students in a local school, greening of a building and its garden, creating a network of universities, starting a journal, and creating new undergraduate and graduate programs. The diversity of efforts is broad; the impact is deep. The dedication of teacher educators around the world is evident on every page of this document. We hope that these efforts will provide tangible and inspiring examples of reorienting education to address sustainability. These case studies illustrate how individuals and institutions accepted challenges associated with creating and implementing ESD programs. The authors and their colleagues worked to ensure a more sustainable future for their communities and thus contributed to a brighter future for the world. Introduction The project aimed at infusing education for sustainable development into the curriculum at the …