Abstract
This paper surveys the literature on participatory design, place connection, and learner agency to suggest new outcomes from the preparation offered in collegiate Education programs. To achieve sustainable communities and a healthy planet, educated citizens must take action to design and implement sustainable systems in the local community. The composition of learners’ experiences in elementary and secondary schools is vital for developing an environmental identity that connects learners to their localities. Teacher education programs must modify their training for K-12 educators to enable teachers to guide learners through an inquiry process that applies their classroom lessons to the design of systems in their locality. Ultimately, this paper illuminates an approach to exhibitions by learners that presents an examination of scientific data and an understanding of the perspectives of stakeholders in a locality. Formal schooling plays a pivotal role in learners developing the skills to care for their locality. This paper outlines a framework of participatory design for schools; it re-imagines the skills that universities must provide teachers in order to educate connected learners who will be active stewards of their homeplaces. To that end, teachers must learn alternative assessments that employ principles of design as a method to infuse Sustainable Development Goals into community decision-making.
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Thomas, T.G. (2023). Infusing Design Thinking into Teacher Preparation: Connecting Learners and Stakeholders Through Classroom-Based Discussions About Local Sustainability Concerns. In: Leal Filho, W., Lange Salvia, A., Pallant, E., Choate, B., Pearce, K. (eds) Educating the Sustainability Leaders of the Future. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22856-8_12
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