Understanding Sustainability with Pedagogical Practice: A Contribution from Geography Education (Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences)

This book shares with an international audience of teachers, scholars, and policymakers the experience of pedagogical practices to facilitate sustainability in the world. Sustainability is seen here as a journey toward the end state of sustainable development. Therefore, the authors contribute different roads to engage teachers and students with pedagogical discourse. Overall, the book demonstrates the value of powerful knowledge through action-oriented learning based on a bottom-up process. Consequently, pedagogical practices are understood as the instructional approaches based on a social constructivist model in which active learning is performed with student-to-student engagement. Secondary teachers in social sciences and university professors in geography find the study to be a valuable source of stimulation for incorporating new ideas and resolving common problems in their learning and teaching environments. Education policymakers around the world also benefit from the only publication that presents international perspectives on geographical knowledge related to sustainability. The contributing authors are experienced scientists in the field of geography education who are giving special attention to pedagogical practices that promote new directions toward sustainable thinking. This book is the first outcome of an international collaboration officially established in 2023 between the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Texas State University and the Department of Geography at the University of Bayreuth. Preface 6 Acknowledgments 8 Contents 9 Editors and Contributors 11 Abbreviations 13 List of Figures 14 List of Tables 15 Part I Pedagogic Discourse toward Sustainability 16 1 Recontextualizing Sustainability: Regulative and Instructional Discourses 17 1.1 Introduction 17 1.2 Pedagogical Practices to Facilitate Sustainable Thinking 18 1.2.1 The Complex Influence of the Regulative Discourse 19 1.2.2 The Potential Capacity of the Instructional Discourse 21 1.3 As a Matter of Final Reflection: Recontextualizing the Concept of Sustainability 25 References 26 2 Learning Culture, Competencies and Consequences for Sustainability Education 29 2.1 Introduction 29 2.2 Complexity as a Characteristic of Global Challenges 30 2.3 Necessary Competencies 31 2.4 Consequences for Education 33 2.4.1 Constructivist-Oriented Teaching and Learning Processes 33 2.4.2 Transformative Learning 34 2.4.3 Solution-Oriented Didactics 35 2.4.4 Lifelong Learning 36 2.5 Conclusion 36 References 37 Part II Uncertainty and Transformative Education for Sustainable Development 16 3 Dealing with Uncertainty in a Transformative Education for Sustainability 41 3.1 Introduction 41 3.2 Facets of Uncertainty Relevant to Teaching and Learning 43 3.2.1 Uncertain Scientific Knowledge 43 3.2.2 Uncertainties Regarding Appropriate Paths of Social and Ecological Transformation 44 3.2.3 Knowledge Uncertainty as an Individualized Experience 45 3.3 Transformative Education as Productive Uncertainty 45 3.4 Conclusion 49 References 50 4 Education for Sustainable Development in a Culture of Digitality 53 4.1 Introduction—Sustainability as a Social Media Trend for the Young Generation? 54 4.2 The Network of Sustainability, Digitalization, and Geography (Education) 55 4.2.1 Sustainability, Digitalization, and Education 56 4.2.2 Geography, Sustainability, and Education 57 4.2.3 Digitalization, Geography, and Education 58 4.3 Integration: Geography Education for Sustainability in a Culture of Digitality 59 4.3.1 Citizen Science and Exploring Wildlife with iNaturalist 60 4.3.2 Analyzing the Attribution of Meaning to Nature on Instagram and Create Alternative Stories with Spatial Citizenship 61 4.4 Conclusion and Outlook 62 References 63 5 School Geography as Radical Global Citizenship Education 66 5.1 Introduction 66 5.2 Discourse Analysis, the Populist Left and Radical Democracy 67 5.3 Key Concepts in Discourse Analysis 67 5.4 Discourses of Sustainability 68 5.5 Neoliberal Hegemony 69 5.6 Counter-Hegemonic or Transformative Discourses 70 5.7 Radical Global Citizenship Education and Agonistic Pedagogy 70 5.8 Global Citizenship Education Otherwise 73 5.9 Further Reading 74 References 75 6 Sustainable Contradictions? The Prospects for an Eco-Socialist School Geography 78 6.1 Introduction 78 6.2 Towards an Eco-Socialist Approach to School Geography 79 6.3 Teaching Geography as if the Planet Matters 80 6.4 Schooling and Capitalism, Again 82 6.5 What We Produce 83 6.6 Teaching Geography in the Warming Condition 86 References 87 Part III Practicing Sustainability in a Pedagogical Context 16 7 Bringing Sustainability into the Classroom 90 7.1 Introduction 90 7.1.1 The Concept of Sustainability in a Pedagogical Context 91 7.2 Bringing in Sustainability into the Classroom 92 7.3 Barriers to Integration of Sustainability Education 95 7.4 Conclusion 96 References 97 8 Subject Matter Knowledge and Sustainability—Implications for Classroom Instruction 100 8.1 Introduction 101 8.1.1 EfS as a Discipline or as a School Subject? 102 8.2 Empowering Learners in EfS 104 8.2.1 Importance of Pedagogy 104 8.2.2 Importance of Knowledge and What Is Required 105 8.3 Teaching EfS: Tying It Altogether Through PCK 107 8.3.1 Case Examples from Singapore 107 8.4 Moving forward—Is a Sustainability Degree Necessary? 109 8.5 Conclusion 109 References 110 9 Teaching with Geographical Situations to Practice Sustainability 113 9.1 Introduction 113 9.2 Geographical Situations as a Potential Tool for Teaching Geography 114 9.3 The Geographical Situation to Overcome the Physical-Human Dichotomy and the NHE Division 117 9.4 Analyzing a Geographical Situation to Understand Sustainability 118 9.5 Final Considerations: Geographical Situations and Sustainability 119 References 124 10 Geography Education for Sustainable Development Through Problem-Based Learning 126 10.1 Introduction 127 10.2 Education for Sustainable Development with Global Projections 128 10.3 Problem-Based Learning in Geography Education 128 10.3.1 PBL Process 129 10.3.2 Role of Facilitator and Students in PBL 129 10.4 Geography PBL to Address ESD 130 10.4.1 An Example of a PBL Activity to Help Foster Education for Sustainable Development 131 10.5 Conclusion 133 References 136 11 Factors Affecting Geography Pre-service Teachers’ Perception About Education for Sustainable Development 139 11.1 Introduction 139 11.2 Background 140 11.2.1 The Context of Vietnam 140 11.2.2 Teachers’ Perception on ESD 141 11.3 Research Method 142 11.4 Results 143 11.5 Discussion 144 11.6 Conclusion 145 References 146 12 Geographical Knowledge and (Education for) Sustainable Development in Geography Curricula 150 12.1 Introduction 150 12.2 Knowledge, Curricula, and (E)SD 151 12.3 Case Studies 152 12.3.1 Romania 152 12.3.2 Mexico 154 12.3.3 Germany 156 12.4 Conclusions and Recommendations 157 References 159 13 Preparing Pre-service Teachers for Practicing Sustainable Geographies Through Online Technology Integration 160 13.1 Introduction 160 13.2 The Structure of a Pre-Service Geography Teacher Workshop Training in ESD 161 13.2.1 The Context 161 13.2.2 A Theoretical Framework for Designing Workshops on Geography and ESD 162 13.3 Geo-Inquiry Sequence and Results 163 13.3.1 Ask (Week 1) 164 13.3.2 Collect (Weeks 1 to 3) 164 13.3.3 Visualize and Create (Weeks 3 to 5) 165 13.3.4 N.3.4 Act (Week 6) 166 13.4 Conclusion 170 References 170 14 Practicing Students SDG Strategies Through Fieldwork—Exploring Student Perspectives on Green Urban Planning Models in a Nature Park 173 14.1 Introduction 173 14.2 Case Area—The Former Wetland as the Field Site 175 14.3 Presenting the Course 177 14.4 Student Cases—Perspectives on SDG Strategies 178 14.4.1 Environmental Blindness as a Learning Situation 179 14.4.2 Mapping of Natural and Cultural Representations of the Wetland Among Landowners and Citizens 180 14.4.3 Understanding the Multi-Scalar Dimensions of SDG 181 14.5 Concluding Remarks 182 References 183 Part IV Final Remarks 16 15 Opportunities and Challenges in Geography Education to Practice Sustainability Education 187 15.1 Introduction 187 15.2 Conditions to Be Met for a Feasible Approach to Sustainability Education 188 15.3 Opportunities for Accomplishing Sustainability Education 189 15.3.1 Possibilities for Theoretical Discussions 189 15.3.2 Ways of Exploration 189 15.3.3 Implementation of Practices 189 15.4 Challenges to Overcome Difficulties 190 15.5 Final Words About Sustainability 190 References 191