The Green Skills of Secondary School Teachers: Overview of Issues and Pedagogical Approaches in Sustainability Education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XXI-03-23_08

Keywords:

Sustainability education, Professionalism of teachers, Secondary school, Pedagogical approaches

Abstract

The article explores some of the pedagogical approaches and themes that support teachers’ practices to promote sustainability education in secondary school. Based on the first results emerging from the literature review conducted within the three-year PON Green research project (2022‍–‍2025) entitled “The ecological challenge: innovative educational practices”, the authors will highlight the reference framework and some areas that currently guide the national and international debate on the professionalism of teachers in the field of sustainability education. This first phase of research has allowed us to start some reflections on the need to foster skills and practices in the field of sustainability that facilitate the intersection between multiple dimensions and capable of supporting a truly transformative change.

References

Alessandrini, G., & Santi, M. (2021). La prospettiva dello Sviluppo Umano e delle capacitazioni: le dimensioni pedagogiche di un incontro tra sostenibilità e capabilities. Formazione & insegnamento, 19(1 Tome II), 806–826. http://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XIX-01-21_69

AsSviS (Alleanza Italiana Per Lo Sviluppo Sostenibile). (2022). L’Italia e gli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile: Rapporto ASviS 2022. AsSviS. Retrived December 5, 2023 from https://asvis.it/public/asvis2/files/Rapporto_ASviS/Rapporto_ASviS_2022/RapportoASviS2022.pdf

Baldacci, M. (2020). Un curricolo di educazione etico-sociale. Proposte per una scuola democratica. Roma: Carocci.

Banzato, M., & Coin, F. (2021). Ideologie e ricerca in educazione ambientale: credenze, approcci educativi e metodi di ricerca. Formazione & Insegnamento, 1(1), 136–150. https://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XIX-01-21_11

Baroni, S. (2021). Covid-19 e apprendimento trasformativo: dal dilemma disorientante all’importanza delle relazioni per gli insegnanti del progetto ripARTiamo! Formazione & insegnamento, 19(1 Tome II), 734–746. http://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XIX-01-21_62

Beck U. (2000). Il lavoro nell’epoca della fine del lavoro: Tramonto delle sicurezze e nuovo impegno civile. Torino: Einaudi.

Bianchi, G., Pisiotis, U., & Cabrera, M. (2022). GreenComp: The European Sustainability Competence Framework. https://green-comp.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/jrc128040_greencomp_f2.pdf

Bocci, F. (2019). Pratiche di osservazione tra pari: Il Microteaching come mediatore per lo sviluppo e l’apprendimento professionale degli insegnanti. In, M. Fiorucci M., G. Moretti (Eds.), Il Tutor dei docenti neossunti (pp. 87–105). Roma, Roma Tre-Press. http://doi.org/10.13134/978-88-32136-73-9

Birbes, C. (2018). Formazione docente, competenze, habitus professionale. Alcune questioni emblematiche. MeTis, 8(2), 191–207. http://doi.org/10.30557/MT00028

Bagoly-Simó, P. (2014). Tracing sustainability: Education for Sustainable Development in the lower secondary geography curricula of Germany, Romania, and Mexico. International research in geographical and environmental education, 23(2), 126–141. http://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2014.908525

Brundiers, K., Barth, M., Cebrián, G., Cohen, M., Diaz, L., Doucette-Remington, S., & Zint, M. (2021). Key competencies in sustainability in higher education—toward an agreed-upon reference framework. Sustainability Science, 16, 13–29. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-020-00838-2

Buccolo, M., & Allodola, V. F. (2021). Formarsi alla “cura”: la costruzione dell’epistemologia nelle professioni educative. Lifelong Lifewide Learning, 17(38), 39–53. https://doi.org/10.19241/lll.v17i38.598

Caparrotta, S. (2022). La transizione energetica attraverso modelli educativi ispirati agli organismi vegetali. Formazione & insegnamento, 20(1 Tome I), 219–226. http://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XX-01-22_21

Cebrián, G. (2020). Education for sustainable development in the university curriculum: cooperative action research with teachers. Revista iberoamericana de educación superior, 11(30), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.22201/iisue.20072872e.2020.30.590

Cebrián, G., & Junyent, M. (2015). Competencies in education for sustainable development: Exploring the student teachers’ views. Sustainability Science, 7(3), 2768–2786. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7032768

Ciani, A. (2019). L’insegnante democratico: Una ricerca empirica sulle convinzioni degli studenti di Scienze della Formazione Primaria dell’Università di Bologna. Milano: FrancoAngeli.

Clayton, S. (2020). Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change. Journal of anxiety disorders, 74, 102263. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102263.

Contini, M., Demozzi, S., Fabbri, M., & Tolomelli, A. (2014). Deontologia pedagogica: Riflessività e pratiche di resistenza. Milano: FrancoAngeli.

Corbetta, P. (2014). Metodologia e tecniche della ricerca sociale. Bologna: Il Mulino.

Corres, A., Rieckmann, M., Espasa, A., & Ruiz-Mallén, I. (2020). Educator competences in Sustainability Education: A systematic review of frameworks. Sustainability Science, 12(23), 9858. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239858

Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Damiani, P. (2021). La formazione dei docenti tra prospettive emergenziali e sostenibilità: una prima riflessione sulle dimensioni caratterizzanti (tracce di sostenibilità). Formazione & insegnamento, 19(1 Tome II), pp. 657–665. http://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XIX-01-21_5

Damiano, E. (2021). Il sapere dell’insegnare: introduzione alla didattica per concetti con esercitazioni. Milano: FrancoAngeli.

De Blasis, M. C. (2021). La koinè della sostenibilità per l’educazione post-Covid19. Formazione & insegnamento, 19(1 Tome I), 352–360. http://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XIX-01-21_31

Ellerani, P. & Morselli, D., (2021). Lo studio dell’agency secondo il Capability Approach nei paradigmi d’indagine qualitativa. Formazione & insegnamento, 19(1), 84–97. https://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XIX-01-21_07.

Frank, P., Fischer, D., Stanszus, L., Grossman, P., & Schrader, U. (2021). Mindfulness as self-confirmation? An exploratory intervention study on potentials and limitations of mindfulness-based interventions in the context of environmental and sustainability education. Journal of Environmental Education, 52(6), 417–444. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2021.1966352

Hicks, D., & Bord, A. (2001). Learning about global issues: why most educators only make things worse. Environmental Education Research, 7(4), 413–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620120081287

Jeronen, E., Palmberg, I., & Yli-Panula, E. (2016). Teaching methods in biology education and sustainability education including outdoor education for promoting sustainability—A literature review. Education Sciences, 7(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci7010001

Jickling, B., & Wals, A. E. (2012). Debating education for sustainable development 20 years after Rio: A conversation between Bob Jickling and Arjen Wals. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 6(1), 49–57. 10.1177/097340821100600111

Kassel, K., Rimanoczy, I., & Mitchell, S. F. (2016). The sustainable mindset: Connecting being, thinking, and doing in management education. In K. Kassel, I. Rimanoczy, & S. F. Mitchell (Eds.), Academy of management proceedings (Vol. 2016, No. 1, p. 16659). Briarcliff Manor: Academy of Management. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2016.16659abstract

Lozano, R., Merrill, M. Y., Sammalisto, K., Ceulemans, K., Lozano, F. J. (2017). Connecting Competences and Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Higher Education: A Literature Review and Framework Proposal. Sustainability Science, 9, 1889. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101889

Lumbelli, L. (2006). Costruzione dell’ipotesi ed astrazione nella pedagogia sperimentale. In A. Bondioli (Ed.), Fare ricerca in pedagogia. Saggi per Egle Becchi (pp. 25–60). Milano: FrancoAngeli.

Marescotti, E. (2022). Cultura della sostenibilità e green skills: considerazioni pedagogiche sui nessi tra formazione professionale del docente e dimensione esistenziale adulta. Annali online della Didattica e della Formazione Docente, 14(23), 128–144. https://doi.org/10.15160/2038-1034/2411

Mezirow, J. (1978). Perspective transformation. Adult Education, 28(2), 100–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171367802800202

Michelsen, G., & Fischer, D. (2017). Sustainability and education 1. In M. von Hauff, C. Kuhnke (Eds.), Sustainable development policy (pp. 135–158). London: Routledge.

Molderez, I., & Ceulemans, K. (2018). The power of art to foster systems thinking, one of the key competencies of education for sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 186, 758–770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.120

Molinari, A. (2022). Per una reciprocità della formazione. Il contributo del capability approach. In A. Vischi (Ed.), Sviluppo delle risorse umane, innovazione organizzativa. Tra design pedagogico e sostenibilità (pp. 71–94). Lecce: Pensa MultiMedia.

Mulà, I., Cebrián, G., & Junyent, M. (2022). Lessons Learned and Future Research Directions in Educating for Sustainability Competencies. Competences in Education for Sustainable Development: Critical Perspectives, 185–194. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91055-6_22

Mulè, P., De Luca, C., & Notti, A. M. (Eds.) (2020). L’insegnante e il dirigente scolastico nella scuola dell’autonomia tra didattica, governance e progetto culturale. Roma: Armando.

Nigris, E., & Zecca, L. (2023). Pedagogia della cittadinanza e formazione degli insegnanti: un’alleanza tra scuola e territorio. Milano: FrancoAngeli.

Nussbaum, M. C. (2006). Education and democratic citizenship: Capabilities and quality education. Journal of human development, 7(3), 385–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649880600815974

Ricciardi, M. (2021). Educazione alla Sostenibilità: politiche, teorie e pratiche per lo sviluppo di competenze trasversali e per l’orientamento. Formazione & insegnamento, (19), pp. 229–238. http://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XIX-01-21_20.

Rogers, M., & Tough, A. (1996). Facing the future is not for wimps. Futures, 28(5), 491–496. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-3287(96)00021-3

Salman, M., Ganie, S. A., & Saleem, I. (2020). The concept of competence: a thematic review and discussion. European Journal of Training and Development, 44(6/7), 717–742. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-10-2019-0171

Scalabrino, C. (2022). European sustainability competence framework background document (No. JRC130849). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. http://doi:10.2760/378627

Schön, D. (1983). Becoming a reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. London: Temple Smith.

Sund, L., & Öhman, J. (2014). On the need to repoliticise environmental and sustainability education: Rethinking the postpolitical consensus. Environmental education research, 20(5), 639–659. http://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2013.833585

Sterling, S. R., & Orr, D. (2001). Sustainable education: Re-visioning learning and change (Vol. 6). Dartington: Green Books for the Schumacher Society.

Tarozzi, M., & Mallon, B. (2019). Educating teachers towards global citizenship: A comparative study in four European countries. London Review of Education, 17(2), 112–125. http://doi.org/10.18546/LRE.17.2.02

Vandenabeele, J., & Van Poeck, K. (2012). Participation and sustainable development: a matter of public concern, In A. E. J. Wols & P. Blase Corcoran, Learning for sustainability in times of accelerating change, pp. 49–62. http://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-757-8_02

Wiek, A., Withycombe, L., & Redman, C. L. (2011). Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development. Sustainability Science, 6, 203–218. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-011-0132-6

Wamsler, C. (2018). Mind the gap: The role of mindfulness in adapting to increasing risk and climate change. Sustainability Science, 13, 1121–1135. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-017-0524-3

Published

2023-12-29

How to Cite

Ilardo, M., & Salinaro, M. (2023). The Green Skills of Secondary School Teachers: Overview of Issues and Pedagogical Approaches in Sustainability Education. Formazione & Insegnamento, 21(3), 65–73. https://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XXI-03-23_08