Volume 13 (2011): Issue 2 (December 2011)

Despite growing awareness of its importance, most sustainability education efforts in tertiary institutions do not significantly impact curricula. This paper details some of the activities and processes used to draft a sustainability strategic plan designed to address sustainability at the curricular level rather than merely the operational level within a large college of education at a large U.S. public university. The plan is also presented. Our goal was not to articulate a fixed policy but rather to produce a coherent plan that (1) fosters awareness and encourage people to join the effort and (2) readily accommodates input as more people become involved. The plan consists of three position statements, five broad recommendations and 20 specific actions aligned with the five recommendations. The hope is that our development processes, analyses and plan will be useful to other teacher education colleges and other groups with similar organisational structures interested in developing sustainability plans.

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to describe the development and implementation of a model for course redevelopment for education for sustainable development (ESD). The theoretical approaches to curriculum development of Ralph Tyler (1949) and Elliot Eisner (2002) were influential in the development of the model. The Tyler Rationale (Tyler, 1949) provided general scaffolding for the process and was particularly useful for the development of learning outcomes, while the philosophy of Eisner (2002), complementary to the tenets of ESD, was instrumental in designing classroom experiences to deliver the learning outcomes. Importantly, the model provides a way to empower the individual educator to integrate ESD at the course level as well as a useful mechanism to ensure the holistic application of ESD, aligning sustainability with the predilections of any discipline. This paper demonstrates the use of the model to redevelop an apparel product development course, reframing it for sustainability and sustainable development. The new course was piloted and has now been offered twice since its inception, resulting in a positive students' learning experience.

The purpose of the paper is to share the findings of a European innovation transfer project (2008-2010) for strengthening sustainability in European handicraft with the aim of transferring a German qualification and consulting concept. The focus of the paper is a train-the-trainer design, which was developed, tested and evaluated with regard to the specific qualification needs and the existing qualification concepts of five European countries. The paper provides content, didactic approach and methods of the train-the-trainer design and the key results of the related analysis of research data. Furthermore, the train-the-trainer design is embedded within the project approach, the methodology of realising an innovation transfer and the associated project products. The results of the train-the-trainer design evaluation are reflected upon with regard to starting points of a European qualification concept for sustainability in handicraft.

This paper describes the leadership style which can sustain education in Botswana community junior secondary schools (CJSS). The concept was examined based on the policy of education in Botswana, Botswana's vision for 2016 and the current situation in schools. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews from a random sample of community junior secondary school teachers and head-teachers in Botswana. The data suggests that the head-teacher's leadership style affects teachers' and pupils' attitude towards a job and studies and that a participatory leadership style promotes sustainable education in schools. These findings can be useful for education policy makers, school administrators and researchers seeking to promote sustainable improvement in education.

Collaboration at the university level is a fundamental element needed to enhance teaching (Cochran-Smith & Fries, 2005) and reflection is a critical component of teacher education (Dewey, 1933, 1938). A case study is presented of one senior university faculty member's experiences co-teaching with two doctoral students seeking to understand the impact of shared decision-making and authentic collaboration on individuals entering the academy. An analysis of the authors' shared experiences indicated that, through this mentoring, collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships were built. An analysis of the authors' experiences also indicated that these collaborative relationships were built upon several key factors, specifically (a) a strong sense of individual accountability and professionalism; (b) the mutual creation and demonstration of respect; (c) affirmation and overt participation in reciprocal growth and development; (d) attention to issues of power and abeyance. The findings of the study highlight the need for further exploration into the role of mentorship of junior faculty and the efficacy of co-teaching processes in the development of professional identities of junior faculty entering the academy.

Inquiry among the schoolteachers' needs to be embedded, cultivated, sustained and nurtured as a tool for a better understanding of the processes in the education and for fostering teachers' ongoing professional growth. This study explores teachers' self-evaluation of their competency to conduct research and to incorporate it in the classroom. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed to seek answers about teachers' engagement with research and to explore the factors of resistance for carrying out research in the classroom setting. This study also dwells upon some mechanisms that lead teachers to carry out research. The focus group interviews which were conducted reflect on the factors that encourage teachers to become more involved in the research and point to the advantages they perceive as emanating from the research. The qualitative part of inquiry reflects teachers' narrative ways of construction and reconstruction of their personal and professional knowledge. The authors discuss the processes that foster teachers to move from the fragmentary use of research strategies to the ability to live in the inquiry, practice new behaviours in the classroom, unlearn the old ones, reflect in action and stay open to a range of new initiatives.