View eeRESEARCH collection: Pre-service Teachers

If you've spent time trying to convince future teachers that environmental education matters, you will have come across at least one of these barriers: "There's no time in the curriculum," "I don't know enough about climate science," and my personal favorite, "I'm just focusing on the basics right now." If this sounds familiar, you're not alone in this uphill battle!

I'm excited to share these gems that might just transform how we prepare the next generation of eco-educators. Grab your reusable mug of choice, settle in, and let's dive into what the research is telling us about the state of environmental education in teacher preparation—and more importantly, how we can make it better.

The Bad News: We're Still Dropping the Ball

The foundational systematic review by Álvarez-García and colleagues (2015) confirms what many of us have suspected: despite decades of UNESCO beating the environmental education drum, there's a glaring disconnect between aspiration and implementation. Pre-service teachers generally like the idea of environmental education but often lack the ecological knowledge and pedagogical tools to deliver it effectively. Even more concerning? Many teacher education programs offer few or no mandatory environmental education courses.

It's like we're expecting teachers to coach a sport they've never played, using equipment they've never seen!

From Theory to Practice: Innovative Approaches That Actually Work

But it's not all doom and gloom! Several recent studies offer promising pathways forward that go beyond the usual "plant a tree and call it a day" approach:

Rethinking Agency in Digital Environmental Education

Siegel and Blom's 2025 study tackles a particularly relevant challenge in our post-pandemic world: how do we teach environmental education online without it feeling completely contradictory? Their approach, grounded in Karen Barad's agential realism philosophy, challenges us to stop thinking of agency as something teachers "give" to students. Instead, they recognize interconnectedness between educators, students, digital platforms, and course materials.

Their "Eco-Biography" assignment—where students explored personal connections to nature and integrated these with teaching philosophies—was particularly successful, showing that meaningful environmental engagement can happen anywhere.

Takeaway: Stop worrying about whether your environmental education is happening in a forest or on Zoom—focus instead on creating spaces where interconnections can emerge naturally!

Comics and Ecofeminism: An Unexpected Power Duo

If you've never considered comics as a vehicle for environmental education, Echegoyen-Sanz and colleagues (2025) will make you think again! Their three-phase intervention had pre-service teachers in Spain explore ecofeminist philosophy, analyze cultural products, and create their own environmental education comics with female protagonists addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The results were impressive—while environmental attitudes were already quite high (pat yourself on the back, environmental educators!), significant improvements were observed in gender equality competence. Students' comics featured diverse characters addressing issues like ocean conservation and climate action, moving environmental education beyond the typical white, Western perspective.

Takeaway: Creative approaches that connect environmental issues with social justice can deepen engagement and broaden perspectives on what "environmental education" encompasses.

A Tale of Two Approaches: Finland vs. Namibia

Saari and colleagues (2024) provide a fascinating glimpse into how different countries approach environmental teacher education. Namibia's comprehensive, practice-driven approach requires environmental education courses throughout the teacher education program, while Finland offers a single optional, theory-driven course.

The kicker? Both approaches face implementation challenges, leading the researchers to question whether sustainability should truly "start with teachers." Their conclusion: teachers need institutional support and resources to effectively integrate environmental education—they can't do it alone.

Takeaway: Stop making individual teachers bear the full burden of environmental education implementation—advocate for system-wide support!

Getting Real: Authentic Experiences for Climate Education

Two studies highlight the power of authentic learning experiences. Sawyer (2024) found that embedding teacher candidates in school settings with project-based learning focused on equal opportunities for all led to significant growth in adaptive expertise and curriculum design skills. When the pandemic hit mid-study, pre-service teachers pivoted creatively—one designing a unit where students researched coping strategies from past pandemics, another having students design PPE while examining health access inequities.

Similarly, Zummo's team (2024) demonstrated how "macro-rehearsals" helped chemistry teachers integrate climate topics like ocean acidification and toxic air pollution into their teaching. Pre-service teachers designed lessons connecting fundamental chemistry concepts to real-world environmental challenges, making abstract science personally relevant.

Takeaway: Give future teachers structured practice opportunities with real-world environmental issues before they face 30 skeptical students on their own!

Practical Implications for Environmental Teacher Educators

If you're involved in teacher preparation, here are five evidence-based strategies to implement now:

1. Push for mandatory environmental education modules in teacher preparation programs with clear competency standards.
2. Integrate creative approaches like comics creation, digital storytelling, or arts-based methods that connect environmental and social justice issues.
3. Provide authentic experiences through project-based learning in real school settings where teachers can practice climate-focused teaching.
4. Challenge binary thinking by exploring frameworks like ecofeminism or agential realism that emphasize interconnectedness.
5. Advocate for institutional support beyond individual teacher initiative—environmental education isn't an add-on, it's foundational.

The Final Word

What strikes me most about this research collection is the consistency of findings across different countries and contexts. Whether in Spain, Australia, Finland, Namibia, or the United States, researchers are confirming that environmental education in teacher preparation requires more than good intentions—it needs structural support, dedicated coursework, innovative pedagogies, and opportunities for authentic practice.

As one study bluntly questions: "Does sustainability really start with teachers?" Perhaps not—but with better-prepared teachers equipped with both theoretical understanding and practical tools, we stand a much better chance of creating the sustainable future our students deserve.

What innovative approaches have you used in environmental teacher education? Share your experiences in the comments!