Teaching contributions from secondary school subject areas to education for sustainable development – a comparative study of science, social science and language teachers

Abstract

In many countries' policy documents and curricula, teachers in the subject areas of science, social science and language are encouraged to collaborate on cross-curricular issues such as sustainable development (SD). This study is conducted in secondary schools (compulsory years 7-9) in Sweden and investigates the similarities and differences in the responses of ten teacher groups (forty-three teachers in total) to questions about their teaching contributions in their own subject areas to education for sustainable development (ESD). The overall aim is to understand how teachers of these three subject areas can contribute to cross-curricular teaching in teacher teams in the context of ESD. This is done by analysing the group responses from data collected in group discussions concerning the teaching dimensions what (content), how (methods) and why (purposes) in relation to ESD. We first analyse the teacher group responses and arguments regarding their contribution to ESD teaching from each subject area separately. Thereafter, we comparatively analyse how the different subject areas' contributions overlap or complement each other in a potential collaborative ESD teaching. The results show that teachers from different subject areas stress different yet complimentary dimensions of teaching and perspectives of ESD. The implications for cross-curricular teaching in ESD are also discussed.

Educational Content in Cross-curricular ESE Teaching and A Model to Discern Teacher’s Teaching Traditions

“…Cross-curricular teaching in the Swedish context refers to designing thematic units about common themes, such as sustainable development, in subject area collaborations where different types of teaching approaches meet. Figure 1 shows one way of illustrating subject area relations and contributions (Hudson, 1995;Sund & Gericke, 2020). A circle represents the teaching approach in a subject area.…”

“…Figure 1 shows one way of illustrating subject area relations and contributions (Hudson, 1995; Sund & Gericke, 2020). A circle represents the teaching approach in a subject area.…”

Knowledge of Student Teachers on Sustainable Land Use Issues–Knowledge Types Relevant for Teacher Education

“…Teaching Sustainable Development issues is challenging because it involves knowledge of multiple disciplines. In several countries, among them, Germany [12] and Sweden [13], ESD is not an individual subject but the task of several subjects. However, almost every subject can be linked to Sustainable Development issues [12].…”

A curricular Delphi study to improve the science education of secondary school students in Spain

“…You, Marshall, and Delgado (2017) highlighted the importance of interdisciplinarity in teaching and learning about the carbon cycle, which lies at the heart of climate change and sustainability. Recent work by Sund and Gericke (2020) demonstrates the important contribution of interdisciplinary teaching about environmental issues in secondary school in order to promote the education for sustainable development. Likewise, Yang, Liu, and Gardella Jr.'s (2020) recent work shows how inquiry‐based instruction influences students' understanding of interdisciplinary concepts.…”