Empowering Teachers through Environmental and Sustainability Education draws inspiration from an empirical study exploring early career teachers' attempts at enacting Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) in their everyday teaching practices. It showcases how a confluence of personal, professional and environmental identities supports implementation of ESE. Additionally, this book discusses key concepts and issues surrounding ESE and the ways in which teachers may claim agency and power to create change in their classroom practices. Drawing from theoretical perspectives, such as Bourdieu's 'thinking tools' habitus and capital, theories of identity, and Foucault's concept of power and knowledge relations, this book explores how teachers negotiate policies, curriculum and institutional norms to further theoretical and practical understanding of ESE. The use of personal narratives offers new insights into teachers' agency in creating localised yet powerful change through small and meaningful actions. The purpose of this book, therefore, is to explore ways in which meaningful change can be made in educational settings through these small agentive and yet empowering steps. This book reveals that teachers can enact agency and navigate the power structures that exist within educational settings in order to make ESE meaningful within their classrooms.

Empowering Teachers through Environmental and Sustainability Education draws inspiration from an empirical study exploring early career teachers' attempts at enacting Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) in their everyday teaching practices. It showcases how a confluence of personal, professional and environmental identities supports implementation of ESE. Additionally, this book discusses key concepts and issues surrounding ESE and the ways in which teachers may claim agency and power to create change in their classroom practices. Drawing from theoretical perspectives, such as Bourdieu's 'thinking tools' habitus and capital, theories of identity, and Foucault's concept of power and knowledge relations, this book explores how teachers negotiate policies, curriculum and institutional norms to further theoretical and practical understanding of ESE. The use of personal narratives offers new insights into teachers' agency in creating localised yet powerful change through small and meaningful actions. The purpose of this book, therefore, is to explore ways in which meaningful change can be made in educational settings through these small agentive and yet empowering steps. This book reveals that teachers can enact agency and navigate the power structures that exist within educational settings in order to make ESE meaningful within their classrooms.

Education has become a political, economic and social priority for Australia, with the success of schools (and teachers) being an integral part of the economic and social future of the country. As a result, quality assurance for learning and teaching has become increasingly debated among policy-makers and the broader public, with a call for more evidence, data and standards to ensure that schools and teachers are held accountable for students' learning outcomes. In response, this book provides a snapshot of the types of evidence and data relating to learning outcomes that are being collected in our classrooms within Australia. The chapters in this book seek to interrogate current views of learning and teaching, beyond what is measured in external assessments that only capture a limited view of student learning outcomes. The chapters explore a range of fundamental topics within education, including positive learning environments, student voice and assessment. They explore and articulate the vital knowledge and skills needed for current and future teachers. In addition, these chapters make clear links between teaching, learning and the theories that frame, shape and inform these learning and teaching processes. The research presented in this book provides practical and theoretical insights into learning and teaching in early years, primary, secondary and tertiary education.

Education has become a political, economic and social priority for Australia, with the success of schools (and teachers) being an integral part of the economic and social future of the country. As a result, quality assurance for learning and teaching has become increasingly debated among policy-makers and the broader public, with a call for more evidence, data and standards to ensure that schools and teachers are held accountable for students' learning outcomes. In response, this book provides a snapshot of the types of evidence and data relating to learning outcomes that are being collected in our classrooms within Australia. The chapters in this book seek to interrogate current views of learning and teaching, beyond what is measured in external assessments that only capture a limited view of student learning outcomes. The chapters explore a range of fundamental topics within education, including positive learning environments, student voice and assessment. They explore and articulate the vital knowledge and skills needed for current and future teachers. In addition, these chapters make clear links between teaching, learning and the theories that frame, shape and inform these learning and teaching processes. The research presented in this book provides practical and theoretical insights into learning and teaching in early years, primary, secondary and tertiary education.