EDST 401 (Education, Schools, & Social Institutions) is a UBC course about the interconnections between education, society and social issues. Danielle Tan worked as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) with Bachelor of Education students, specifically elementary teacher candidates in the Education for Sustainability cohort, and co-designed the course curriculum and reading list with Rob, who was the instructor of the course.
Each year, Rob and Danielle update and improve the course based on teacher candidate feedback. We have weekly reflection surveys to help teacher candidates connect course theories back to themselves and to other types of formal and informal learning, while providing an opportunity for them to give feedback on course structure and activities.
Throughout the course, teacher candidates are exposed to diverse perspectives from community partners around sustainability education and social and environmental justice. We invite Community Field Experience (CFE) guest speakers into the course to enhance learning and resource sharing. Teacher candidates get to know some of the CFE community partners early in the program, which may help with their decision-making for selecting their ideal CFE placements. Through activities and discussions, students have the opportunities to share about their background, positionality, and rich and diverse experiences and knowledge.
The Education for Sustainability cohort will support, inform and inspire teacher candidates, and their students and mentors, to develop deeper knowledge, understanding and competencies related to education for sustainability. Core aims of the cohort also include development of an ethic of stewardship and care for people, place and planet, formation of deep connectedness to the environment and the systems that sustain us, and cultivation of healthier, thriving communities.
Grounded in ecopedagogy through inquiry, collaboration and action, the cohort is open to all teacher candidates seeking to enact the BC curriculum with a focus on place-based, experiential and community-connected approaches to learning. Cohort members will develop rich, innovative and effective teaching practices through practical field experiences and other professional development opportunities in partnership with Lower Mainland school districts and established community partner organizations.
More information:
Sustainability Learning Pathways in the UBC Teacher Education Program: Destination Cohort
