Educating Teachers for Sustainability and Social Justice: A Service-Learning Project in Physical Education Initial Teacher Education

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals are a mission for all societies. Higher education has an essential role in preparing citizens for this global challenge by adopting student-centred approaches and active methodologies. Service Learning (SL) is recognised as having educative value in promoting values, teamwork, and social awareness. The pedagogical project reported in this study was built with the underpinnings of the SL and active learning methodologies and aimed to describe and analyse the experience built on the principles of SL for Society within the theme of Olympics values. This study took place during the school placement curricular unit of a master’s programme in the Physical Education Teacher Education programme at (blinded for review). Seventy-two preservice teachers, organised in groups, were invited to develop an SL for Society project subordinated to the theme of “No one should be left behind” (ASD 2030). An analysis of the 22 projects revealed a spectrum of seven themes: (1) Inclusion, (2) Environment and Sustainability, (3) Gender Equality, (4) Health and Wellness, (5) Olympic and Social Values, (6) Cultural Heritage and Intergenerational Relations, and (7) Learning Communities. While conceiving, planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects, the preservice teachers understood the importance of embracing inclusion, equity, sustainability, and social justice in teaching.