Collaborating to improve teaching and learning about sustainability within an international learning community

This paper examines the development of an international learning community of teachers and researchers, established in partnership with leaders and colleagues from three nations: the UK, Pakistan, and Zambia. The collaboration offered a knowledge exchange platform and professional development opportunity for educators and educational leaders to work collaboratively and co-create and implement innovative curriculum resources addressing sustainability issues in schools across different countries. Working with international partners on sustainability issues was a key aspect of this project, as this is a global challenge, but one which needs understanding of how different nations and communities address and respond to real-world problems and opportunities.

Sustainability is of profound importance in many areas, including teaching and educational research (DfE, 2022; Stirling, 2019). International sustainability issues include promoting justice, eradication of poverty, inequality, and achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) (United Nations, 2022). Traditionally, these issues have been explored through Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in the United Kingdom. Our aim was to broaden this frame of reference by exploring wider international perspectives regarding the nexus of science, religion, and wider humanities by applying epistemic insight (EI), which explores how knowledge is formed and used within and across disciplines (Billingsley et. al, 2018). Our research has shown that EI supports development of curiosity, creativity, and reflective critical thinking, particularly pertinent to discourse within an internationally diverse collaboration. The learning community consisted of CCCU and institutions in Pakistan and Zambia to increase the cross-cultural nature of the community and facilitate a greater diversity of experiences.

Our work indicated differences between viewpoints and approaches to environmental stewardship and education between educators and leaders in different continents. Consequently, during this collaborative journey, we encountered opportunities and challenges arising from using different curricula and teaching models alongside diverse cultural and faith perspectives, providing a rich knowledge exchange. Therefore, the community approach encouraged professional development, supporting teachers’ confidence in delivering education on sustainability across a range of different curriculum subjects, rather than just through science and technology. We also examined the role of the learning community in developing teachers' epistemic agency, combined with their ability to understand and navigate knowledge across disciplinary boundaries (OECD, 2018). We explored how teachers promoted students’ understanding of the interrelationship between ‘disciplinary knowledge’ (Ofsted, 2021) and ‘epistemic knowledge’ (OECD, 2018; OECD, 2022) and considered participants’ leadership effectiveness in transforming pedagogical practices in their schools. Finally, we explored how participation in the learning community enhanced teachers’ professional knowledge, expertise, and leadership. Such an approach supported a shared vision for sustainability education, with consideration of local and global perspectives.

The research was mixed method and underpinned by a robust ethical framework.

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