Teaching with a Rounder Sense of Purpose at the University of Gloucestershire

This article was first published in Winter 2025/26 in Vol 138 of the NAEE journal. The latest Environmental Education journal is available free to NAEE members.

Despite the University of Gloucestershire winning accolades for its green credentials, calls to embrace learning for sustainability did not penetrate all courses, not least, teacher education. This was partly down to meeting Government requirements, such as the Core Content Framework (CCF), none of which mention sustainability, while adherence to these is subject to alarmingly significant Ofsted inspections.

From project to programme

Things changed when we initiated an Erasmus+ project (remember them?), which sought to define the competences of educators who take sustainability seriously. The project ‘A Rounder Sense of Purpose’ covered different contexts among our eight European partners, but at Gloucestershire this involved a consultative session with staff across the Bachelor of Education primary programme followed by one-to-one conversations. This gradual approach had the dual purpose of learning from the team while building trust and confidence as the emerging competences (A Rounder Sense of Purpose, n.d.) were mapped against curriculum content.

What began as exploratory discussions evolved into new practices such as keynote lectures for all first year BEd students and, in 2022/23, we began our compulsory module for final year students. Over ten weeks, the module combines academic theory with practical exploration so that student teachers engage critically with education for sustainable development (ESD) through the lenses of outdoor learning, sustainability, and Philosophy for Children (P4C), introducing pedagogical methods to empower children as active, reflective, and responsible citizens.

Some theory

This approach reflects a combination of ‘ESD 1’, that is, essential knowledge and recommended actions, and ‘ESD 2’, which involves building capacity to think critically about and beyond ESD 1, such as exploring inherent contradictions in sustainable living (Vare & Scott, 2008). While the combination of ESD 1 and 2 builds effective learning for sustainability, the module also aligns with the CCF, particularly in relation to fostering subject knowledge, using effective pedagogical approaches and developing reflective, values-driven professional practice.

Content and assessment

Early sessions introduce the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the concept of global citizenship, linking to a broader rationale for teaching about sustainability. This ESD 1 focus includes introducing systems thinking through a webbing game appropriate for primary-aged children. We explore ways to embed sustainability in curriculum areas such as literacy, enabling student teachers to make meaningful cross-curricular connections and plan coherent sequences of lessons.

Outdoor learning is introduced through experiential sessions, enabling students to explore the role of nature connection, sensory engagement, and place-based learning in developing pupils’ environmental understanding and emotional regulation. We use a well-developed Forest School area plus less promising environments such as the car park, which may more accurately reflect the spaces available to some schools. The latter setting makes the point that nature is resilient and makes its presence felt in surprising places.

The module also embeds Philosophy for Children (SAPERE, 2022) to deepen students’ ability to facilitate meaningful dialogue. Through mini-enquiries, students practise creating collaborative classrooms and prompting critical thinking around sustainability-related concepts such as fairness, rights, and justice. This part of the module exemplifies ESD 2, and students value the way that this can be applied directly to their practice.

Each strand of the module – sustainability, outdoor learning, and P4C – contributes to the overarching goal of preparing teachers who can connect knowledge, values, and action under the ESD umbrella. Through weekly reflective logs, students examine how their own values relate to sustainability principles and identify strategies for overcoming common barriers from curriculum pressures to self-confidence and climate anxiety. These reflections support the final assessment, an essay that requires students to engage critically with two of the module’s three strands in relation to their professional development.

Feedback and adjustments

Initially, students expressed concern that not everything they learned could be applied in their teaching, we therefore reduced theoretical content in favour of developing practical ideas while not losing essential background. Another challenge was students saying sustainability felt “depressing”, which reminded us to emphasise connection, futures thinking, agency, collaboration, and action. After the latest iteration, students reported how the module gave them confidence in recognising the value of embedding ESD within the primary curriculum. One student reflected on how the module outlined a responsive, meaningful pedagogy – one that connects children to real-world environmental challenges while also fostering curiosity, agency, and wellbeing.

And beyond…

Elsewhere, we are also integrating aspects of sustainability earlier in the BEd course and with our PGCE students. For example, in design and technology, all sessions in year 1 and the PGCE course focus on researching, designing, and building sustainable homes. Meanwhile, we integrate a great deal of teaching on sustainability within geography sessions.

Finally, when the much-anticipated Ofsted call did come, the inspection report highlighted our embedded sustainability work as a unique strength of the university’s approach to teacher education. This is more than a nice-to-have; perhaps more than anything, it ensures that sustainability and environmental education is here to stay.

References:

• A Rounder Sense of Purpose (n.d.). Educating with a rounder sense of purpose. aroundersenseofpurpose.eu
• SAPERE (2022). SAPERE: Philosophy for Children and communities. SAPERE. sapere.org.uk
• Vare, P. & Scott, W. (2008). Education for Sustainable Development: two sides and an edge. DEA Thinkpiece, eprints.glos.ac.uk/7297