Teacher Education for Sustainability

Working Group

In order to develop and implement strategies RCE-GWS have implemented a number of working groups to address and create projects around our regional sustainability challenges.

Overview of Working Group

The Teacher Education for Sustainability working group aims to engage and educate schools, both primary and secondary, and their teachers on what sustainability is and how they can get involved.

These projects give focus to the development of in service and pre-service teacher education programs on sustainability, as well asstudents learnign about Aboriginal foods, medicines and resources YES - det.jpg students. This is in recognition of the fact that, on the one hand there is now a sustainability theme in the national curriculum for schools and a sustainability module in every one of Australia’s National Training Packages but on the other hand, there is yet to be a coherent approach to building attention into teacher education.

These projects includes fostering links between schools, vocational education and training, VET, higher education, community education, curriculum resources and living laboratory projects.

Current working group members

The UWS Centre of Educational Research (group leader – Professor Margaret Somerville), Department of Education & Communities (group leader - Danien Feneley), Hawkesbury Environment Network, Brewongle Environmental Education Centre, Blacktown Learning Community, Sydney Olympic Park Authority.

Working Group Projects

  • The Youth Eco Summit provide state wide engagement for schools and their teachers, as well as industry.
  • 21st Century Education engagement in Western Sydney.
  • Living Links aims to rebuild community aspirations in Willmont.
  • The Stars project looks at primary and secondary students aspirations.
  • Adventure Conservation initiative is an engaging way to undertake research and data collection by school groups.
  • The Teachers @ Sustainability initiative professional development in sustainability education.
  • Our Place Community Forums.