Teaching for change : exploring Transformative Pedagogy in education for sustainable development

Abstract

This thesis aims to investigate how Transformative Education is linked in literature to Education for Sustainable Development. It investigates the origins of Transformative Education and explores who and what the theory is for in terms of sustainability education. Programs such as Eco-Schools, UNESCO forum for Transformative Education, and CoDesignS are described in relation to the intersection of the concepts of sustainability and transformation. Transformative Education for sustainability in the context of non-adult students and teacher education is explored. Recommendations are given for further research to best support the implementation of transformative education for Education for Sustainable Development with non-adult learners. In this thesis I aim to: a) investigate the terms Transformative Education (TE) (including Transformative Learning (TL); Transformative Pedagogy (TP) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) b) discuss how and why TE is linked to ESD in research and c) briefly describe some contexts in which TE for ESD is implemented.