While it is generally agreed that teachers can shape student learning outcomes, there remains considerable debate on how national policies and training programmes can best support teacher education to address sustainable development challenges. This study aimed to develop a teaching readiness model with a focus on education for sustainable development. Therefore, the research investigated pre-service teachers’ readiness for fostering education for sustainable development by applying its principles to teaching and learning activities. Pre-service teachers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics responded to a survey regarding their perception of the readiness for designing, conducting, assessing, and engaging in teaching and learning experiences underpinning sustainable development. The results suggest professional knowledge and practice, professional engagement, and self-management could be considered central dimensions of teachers’ job readiness, each of them encompassing a set of components or vectors. Moreover, professional knowledge has a strong and positive influence on teaching practice and professional engagement. In regard to professional knowledge, the ability to conduct didactic transposition is the most influential component. The most significant vectors of the professional practice dimension were found to be the ability to design effective evaluation tools and interpret learning outcomes. The research also revealed weak areas of teacher training: the ability to manage students’ disruptive behaviors, to customize learning and to self-regulate teaching emotions.

There is no doubt that the use of technology and online activities shape our real-world interactions, thoughts, behaviours, attitudes, and affects. We take this as an opportunity to reconsider the digital competencies of future teachers. Therefore, the present paper argues the relevance of virtual empathy to fostering learning in virtual learning environments. To achieve this goal, a correlational study was conducted. A number of 569 undergraduate students, Z generation representatives, were purposefully sampled. All the participants were Internet users, enrolled in a teaching degree program in a Romanian regular university. The subjects completed an online survey measuring the level of virtual empathy, socio-demographics, and media usage behaviours. The self-report scale that we applied to measure participants' empathy levels has proved reliability. The article depicts the results of the study and discusses them. The results indicate a complex relation between going online and real-world empathy. Video gaming affects the level of virtual and real-world empathy. However, none of the participants reported optimal levels of virtual empathy. The scores of virtual empathy are significantly lower than those computed for real-world empathy (both for male and female subjects). Nevertheless, correlational analysis showed a positive and statistically significant correlation between the two types of empathy. In addition, gender differences regarding virtual empathy are analysed. In conclusion, the paper reflects on the need to reshape the view of digital literacy in future teachers.

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