Can environmental education help to mitigate learners eco/climate anxiety? Anxiety surrounding climate change has drastically risen in youth in recent years. This paper aims to answer the call from Pihkala's (2020) previous review for more concrete information on educational approaches to support learners in processing eco/climate anxiety. As…

In 2021 Professor Papaarangi Reidi, at The University of Melbourne, shared the ancient proverb "I nga ra o mua", translated to mean "before we know where we are going, we must know where we have come from". This proverb sets the tone for discussing the Arts in the New Zealand curriculum, as during radical upheaval and social…

Although teachers have been identified as key change agents in the shift towards a flourishing planet for all, research into effective pedagogies for embedding environmental and sustainability education (ESE) into teacher education courses is an emerging area. Understandings about the most effective approaches and activities are needed, along with…

The purpose of this paper is to share insights gained from the discovery, design, and delivery phases of creating a three-tiered model of non-academic learning support in open, distance, and flexible learning (ODFL): "Learner Engagement and Success Services (LESS)", at Open Polytechnic | Te Pukenga, New Zealand. Presented as a case…

In this era of pandemics, asylum seekers, and conflict between super powers, social sciences are a critical subject that can help develop young people who can not only recognise racial and social discrimination but also injustices at a regional, national, and global scale. Mainstream subjects, such as sociology, routinely support learning in the…

Discourse regarding modern doctoral studies criticises the traditional notion of doctoral education as being too narrow to facilitate knowledge creation and transfer towards the knowledge economy. This study considered the pedagogical links to supervisory practices to enable transformative learning experiences. The study, grounded in the…

The challenges of naming a bounded disciplinary body of knowledge for the social sciences has made it difficult to define and clearly articulate 'what counts' for disciplinary learning in school curricula. The shift to 'new' generic skills with an associated autonomy of curriculum content choice and learner-centred approaches has introduced…

The possibility for enacting transformative practices in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) is shaped by the social, political, and material landscape. However, it is vital we acknowledge our contributing role as PETE lecturers in this shaping process. This paper presents the authors study of their critical friendship aimed at making…

This article explores a synergy of inquiry-based learning and a cultural pedagogy within a Maori environment, the "marae" (communal meeting place) while using Academic Co-Creative Inquiry (ACCI), an innovative approach to teaching and learning which enables teachers and students to cocreate the content and the process of the course…

Despite attempts to define quality in initial teacher education (ITE), consensus remains elusive. Harvey highlights how, in higher education, there is confusion between quality, standards and quality assurance. Examination of the quality indicators in ITE reveals an over-emphasis on standards rather than its transformative potential. Original…

Te Tiriti o Waitangi [te Tiriti] articulates the relationship between the government and Maori [Indigenous New Zealanders]. Universities have a responsibility to prepare graduates to work with te Tiriti. The literature on teaching te Tiriti is sparse. In this conceptual paper, we propose "he hokinga ki te mauri" [a return to vibrancy] as…

Performing arts teachers, in diverse regions of the world, recognise that globalisation has indelibly influenced how the arts are valued, practiced and taught (Rowe, Martin, Buck, et al., 2018). As illustrated by three key United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) policies on arts and culture in the 21st century (UNESCO,…

Recent research points to the importance of teacher educators teaching "for" diversity in initial teacher education programmes. Teaching "for" diversity is an approach to teacher education in which an understanding of specialist literature and a focus on critical thinking supports a social justice agenda as opposed to merely…

Set against a context of Indigenous health disparities, climate turmoil, and unpredictability of human-ecological systems, this article asks the question of how transformative sustainability education (TSE) with its increasing emphasis on Indigenous knowledge and ways of being can be effectively and ethically applied in colonized modern…

Make a Difference (MAD) is a sustainability leadership program for high school students in Auckland, New Zealand. It offers a residential camp and follow-up activities. This article documents a participatory, utilization-focused evaluation of MAD, based on a Theory of Change approach. We ran workshops with MAD coordinators and students and…