PRESERVICE EDUCATION
SDG 17 IN ACTION
The collaboration between the SSN and the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University
Today the education sector is going through what most commentators see as an unprecedented period of change. The assumption is that standard modes of teaching and learning have changed forever. However, despite the ‘strangeness’ around us, some institutions are stepping up and modeling effective collaborative teaching and learning relationships that have been part of local community-base education for decades. Set in this context, this collaboration between the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University and the Sustainable Schools Network, reminds us that, now more than ever, meeting the outcomes of the SDGs are essential for humanity and the planet. This project highlights the importance of SDG 17: that everyone needs to come together to achieve the sustainable development goals.
This collaboration resulted in one teaching and learning resource being created by the preservice students for most of the SDGs. These resources are developed by teachers for teachers and offer a grassroots perspective on how to think about and embed the SDGs in daily practice. You can access the SDG playlist on the SSN Youtube Channel. Click on the videos below to view the student contributions.
Background
In 2020, due to COVID, preservice teachers in the first year of the Bachelor of Education degree within the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University (GU) were not able to complete their practicum by going to a local school. The course in their degree that was affected was called 1999EDN, Teaching as a Profession.
When Dr Alison Sammel (Ali) from the School of Education and Professional Studies, at GU, heard about this situation, she reached out to the Sustainable Schools Network (SSN) to see if they wanted to co-develop an experience for these students that offered a deep and authentic engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Sustainability Education (SE). The SSN board approved this collaboration.
Students had a few choices of programs to choose from to complete their 1999EDN course, but this SSN option was the only one that was specifically developed for this situation. The program consisted of an online Community of Practice (CoP), co-developed between GU and the SSN. This project was a 100% volunteer, community-based, goodwill project.
The final program was a 2 week, 80 hour course that was structured in the following way:
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For the first week students engaged with SE and the SDGs and posted their thoughts and discussions in the online site (hosted by GU). With the support of Ali the students learned about the SDGs and specific pedagogies needed to effectively engage students with these concepts. Individually, and collectively, the students explored what the SDGs meant and were encouraged to link these goals to something they were passionate about teaching. The week culminated in planning how they could introduce these concepts to other teachers.
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For the second week the students signed up to focus on one SDG that linked with something they were personally passionate about. In groups or individually, the students were to create a 10 min video to teach practicing teachers about that particular SDG and offer theoretical and practical advice about embedding it into their daily teaching practice.
Students were informed that the videos would be hosted on this SSN website for teachers around the world to better understand the SDGs and SE.
Students were given 3 projects to choose from to structure their video around:
A. Develop a social media promotion kit for a sustainability concept directed at five school community populations - Griffith students investigated a SDG concept and developed a promotion kit for that concept. Concepts included: waste free lunches, green energy, sustainable procurement, discipline directed sustainability ideas. The promotion kits were used in the future delivery of webinars for five different school populations, such as teachers, preservice teachers, parents, business service managers/principals, and caretakers. Project A involved gaining an understanding of the concept, identifying potential speakers and funders, writing a statement on the importance of this concept for a specific population, and creating a promotional video and social media tiles using canva. Social media experience and familiarity essential for project A
B. Sustainability Education (SE) Research Project - This project focused on the pedagogy of effectively teaching the SDGs. In groups or individually, Griffith students found online resources they believed were helpful in communicating SE pedagogies and how it could be included in schools. Students created and recorded an engaging digital resource (video, prezi, etc.) to introduce SE to teachers (max 10 minutes). These resources were then judged by their 1999EDN peers and the SSN. The best are shared here on the SSN website as a global resource for teachers.
C. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Project - This project focused on understanding and embedding one particular SDG into the daily practice of teaching and learning. In groups or individually, Griffith students found online resources they believed were helpful in communicating what that particular SDG was, and how it could be included in schools. Students created and recorded an engaging digital resource (video, prezi, etc.) to introduce that SDG to teachers (max 10 minutes). These resources were then judged by their 1999EDN peers and the SSN. The best are shared here on the SSN website as a global resource for teachers.
The first offering of this collaborative online course occured from August 10th-August 21st, 2020. This first iteration had 98 participants. The second offering ran from October 19th-October 30th, 2020, and had 27 participants. With over 120 students undertaking this program, the student’s feedback (below) points to a positive impact on comfort levels and capacities with embedding the SDGs and effective pedagogical implementation in our local community.
The student response to this collaboration has been exceptional. Yet this is only the beginning - as the SDG resources generated by this program are already offering support to national and international teachers who are seeking to understand their peer’s ways of thinking about teaching and learning approaches associated with including the SDGs within their classrooms.
Linking the creation of this course to the SSN
The Sustainable Schools Network Limited (SSN) was inspired by the vision of CEO and Steward Katie Norman, who was compelled to act after years of living overseas with intense air and water pollution. Initiating a sustainability committee at an independent Gold Coast school, Katie identified the benefits of partnering with other schools to share resources and strengthen commitments to education for sustainability. It was from this beginning that the SSN evolved.
To the SSN it makes sense to take local action on global environmental and social problems, engaging young people who are not only highly creative, but are the world's future thought leaders. It is our observation that the siloed educational system focused on outcomes with ever increasing complexity and pressure on performance across the sector from students to parents, staff and community members is unlikely to ensure the wellbeing and development of our collective communities. Reimagining education is critical to the delivery of the Australian Curriculum, cross-curriculum priority sustainability. This curriculum is adopted by most Australian states and indicates sustainability is to be embedded across subject areas and focuses on three organising ideas:
Educate - delivering sustainability education in Australia and beyond.
Connect - building partnerships for education for sustainability.
Imagine - being future-focused and creating a syntropic enterprise.
Reimagining education to the Sustainable Schools Network involves a vision to educate and connect school communities to imagine a sustainable future.
Three pillars form the foundation of our work and are interdependent:
EDUCATE
Education to the SSN is critical to ensuring the wellbeing and future of our children and generations to come. We deliver education by providing resources for school communities and facilitating professional development opportunities for whole school communities.
CONNECT
To ensure education for sustainability (EfS) is a mainstream practice, the SSN aims to increase participation by schools in behavioural and cultural change programs. We also aim to build relationships that share resources and break down barriers for school engagement in EfS.
IMAGINE
As an organisation being future-focused is essential to ensuring we have integrity and can lead the way. The SSN will develop our syntropic architecture and commit to understanding SE best practice.
The SSN has formed to support whole school communities to reimagine education to embrace education for sustainability pedagogy and system approaches that enable the future global citizens the world needs now more than ever. The SSN is a registered Australian not-for-profit charity (at the time of the project).
Linking the creation of this course to the SDGs
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified 17 goals that are interconnected and have been identified as global challenges that require action. The goals include addressing poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice and UN member states agreed in 2015 to deliver on the 17 goals by 2030.
The SSN has identified that SDG 17 is fundamental to our work and that we will align with other goals where the opportunity arises. Previous and future events align with: SDG 3: Good health and well being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate action, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions.
This collaboration between the SSN and the School of Education and Professional studies at Griffith University explicitly relates to SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals. GU and the SSN came together as they believe that ecological sustainability is the responsibility of every part of society, across the world. Unless all parts of society work together towards the SDGs, we believe their implementation will be limited, and so cannot be achieved.
As such, the promotion of the SDGs cannot be achieved without linkages, across the goals, but also between institutions, governments, companies, NGOs, and people. Specifically, both institutions were searching for locally relevant, practical ways to support the SDGs through collaboration and promotion of best practices. With this collaboration, both GU and the SSN were able to provide an example of the SDG 17.2.5: Collaboration with NGOs for SDGs - Collaborate with NGOs to tackle the SDGs through: student volunteer programs, research programmes, or developing of educational resources.
GU and the SSN worked together in a good faith to offer students the option to volunteer within a locally based registered NGO. Collectively, they promoted the experience of learning about the SGDs, how to embed them into daily teaching and learning practices, and to develop educational resources that promoted each SDG within formal education systems in Australia. This collaboration strategically aligns, and provides a local example of SDG 17.2.5.
Linking the creation of this collaboration to Griffith University and the Australian Professional Standards for Teaching
The preservice teachers who engaged with this course were undertaking 1999EDN, Teaching as a Profession, which facilitates an introductory understanding of, and transition into, teaching as a profession. Students undertook this GU/SSN collaboration as a way to inform their future practice, guide further professional learning, learn more about a pedagogical practice, understand behaviour management strategies; familiarise themselves with particular policies, practice specific communication techniques and to find out about the pro’s and con’s for technological initiatives.
This course links to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) which are the gold standard for teaching in Australia. The APST are a public statement that describes the professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement required of teachers. They comprise seven Standards describing what teachers should know and be able to do. They are interconnected, interdependent and reflect the complex role of teaching.The Standards are organised into four career stages – Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished, Lead – to reflect a continuum of teacher’s developing professional expertise. Characteristics of the career stages are illustrated through descriptors for each focus area.
The Standards are grouped into three domains:
https://www.qct.edu.au/standards-and-conduct/professional-standards
This GU/SSN collaboration linked to the following Standards through specific questions the students answered and submitted as part of their 1999EDN assessment task:
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What strategies are there in your context that support participation and learning of people with disabilities? (APST 1.6)
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How are parents/ carers meaningfully involved in supporting the learning practices in your context (APST 3.7)
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In what ways does your organisation provide opportunities for staff to professionally grow and advance their career? (APST 6.1)
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How are you and/or colleagues engaged in professional learning to improve practice in your context? (APST 6.2)
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What ethical considerations and principles are considered and practiced in your context?(APST 7.1)
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According to your context what are the required relevant administrative and organisational policies and processes that colleagues must be aware of? (APST 7.2)
Student comments about this collaboration:
[11/09/2020 10:28 am] Stuart Hooper
Cameron Gordon and Christopher Dorries were a pleasure to work with. Our unity and work ethic was evident from day 1 and this never waned. This being my second degree, they are the best I’ve worked with. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of learning about sustainability and how different stakeholders were impacted. I was very pleased to see the initiatives of the Brisbane City Council to ensure sustainability beyond the year 2031. The most important point I learnt is that education for sustainability is about being lifelong learners on sustainability including developing strategies as time goes on to ensure their respective communities have a long term sustainability plan in place.
[11/09/2020 10:32 am] Aaliya Jones
This Experience being a part of the SSN has been a joy, I have learnt so much about how I can improve suitability within education. As a pre- service teacher this placement was at first quite intimidating as it was unclear what our jobs were as I had never used teams before, and I was struggling. However, on Tuesday 1st in the meeting with Alison and Katie it was then clear how I was going to attack my 5 hours a day. What I have learnt and saved to my hard drive is going to be extremely helpful for myself in the near future. The way everyone interacted and shared valuable sources on the suitability page followed an ongoing discussion on how we can be the change. Whilst engaging and contributing with the SSN this has provided me with understanding of Sustainable Development Goals and Education for Sustainability I have found all the topics on the thread useful for my own personal knowledge and I have learnt so much new information. Thank you so much for volunteering your time Alison and Katie (smile)
[11/09/2020 10:39 am] Sophie Johnsson
I have loved this experience - having the freedom to engage with the topic in areas that interest us was great. I loved learning about how many small changes we can all make to lead more sustainable lives and how they all add up to great change! I felt this program was really well organised, especially for something that came up last minute due to covid. I am already making changes in my life, and will take knowledge learnt moving forward into my life and teaching career. Thanks so much Ali - and to the SSN team for this experience (smile)
[11/09/2020 10:54 am] Gabrielle Bell
This has been an amazing experience for me, this organisation is one that really aligns with my beliefs and I think it is vital that us graduating teachers are able to learn more, and be involved with making a change around sustainability and the environment. This is something that I am very passionate about so when this option became available I was so excited, and the experience has turned out to be great. I think the way it was delivered where we can follow what interests us is a great approach as people are able to learn about what they are interested in (i found myself scrolling through Netflix over the weekend searching for documentaries around sustainability haha). Working on these projects is a great opportunity that is being offered to us so early in our teaching career and I have loved the experience I have gained from it all. Working on these projects has also motivated me in my own actions around sustainability and to think about how and what kind of a change I could make when I become a teacher. Thank you so much to Ali, Katie and all of SSN for offering us this experience (heart)
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[11/09/2020 10:58 am] Christopher Dorries
I loved this experience!! Being able to engage with such an interesting yet important topic was amazing. I loved the ideas around getting younger children into sustainability and being able to develop the passion for sustainability throughout their schooling journey. However, having a sustainable lifestyle is a lifelong learning process. One thing I'll take away is how the Brisbane City Council have been implementing initiatives which encourage stakeholders to be sustainable
[11/09/2020 11:00 am] William Thomson
I enjoyed how we got to understand more about sustainable education and how to incorporate sustainability into education. By researching the resources available it was really helpful to brainstorm ways I could incorporate sustainable practices in my teaching pedagogy as well as educate students on the importance of sustainability.
[11/09/2020 11:08 am] Connor Williams
Thank you for providing us with this great opportunity to further develop our understanding of Sustainability. This experience has allowed me to think from a different point of view on how we as teachers can make a difference with the younger generations by teaching them about Sustainability. I liked how it was very open and you gave us the freedom to explore and develop our own ideas around the topic. The program itself was well organised in terms of outlining tasks and communication was extremely helpful as it was easy to find our way around without any major problems. Overall, this experience was a mind opening opportunity which led me down a new path of thinking about my future teaching career and I can start to look at life in a new way.
[11/09/2020 11:09 am] Jorja Kahi-Stowers
To be honest, I thought I was going to struggle with Prac being online but this experience has been amazing for me. I always knew that sustainability was important but I never really knew why and now I do. Through extensive research I was able to solidify my understanding of sustainability as well as learning about the importance of EfS. I am/ was very fortunate enough to work in a group with the nicest, most kindest people ever. Everyone was so helpful and I’m truly grateful for being a part of the project we have all produced. This experience was way better than expected and I feel lucky to have been apart of it ❤️
[11/09/2020 11:11 am] Maddison Porter
I am so grateful for this opportunity; I would love to thank the time and effort that Alison & Katie have put into creating this opportunity for us and the entire SSN organisation for letting us be a part of this experience. I absolutely loved the freedom we had to engage with all the resources and finding out there were so many resources for teachers to use in their classrooms. My hard drive is now full of content for my future teaching degree, thanks to this program. Looking into becoming more sustainable, I will be implementing what I have learnt these last two weeks, at my café.
The SSN has been so organised, I have absolutely loved this experience and so glad that it came into our options last minute, I was dreading the other options because they were not organised at all, but when SSN’s option came up, I was so excited, SSN has exceeded my expectations and I can’t wait to keep following their journey through social media.
[11/09/2020 11:12 am] Bryson Hinkins
The experience that I have obtained has been insightful and exhilarating. I have found myself confused at times as to what to do for my 5 hours but most of these questions have been cleared up during our meetings. It was extremely useful as a preservice teacher to see how I can implement these methods of sustainability in my own classroom. I feel the online experience has taken a little from our learning method with your organisation, however I have enjoyed wonderfully working with you all and appreciate everything you've done not just for us Prac students but for the world as a whole, working towards sustainability to form a better future. My second week in particular has been extremely enjoyable and insightful working together with such passionate individuals that make me feel like I belong. Thank you for everything you do
[11/09/2020 11:12 am] Jasmin Spinoso
It's been really interesting being immersed in sustainability practices over the past two weeks. I've found myself being more conscious over the products I choose when shopping, putting that toy down that may only have one use that I usually would have grabbed because it was cheap. I really hope to continue learning more about sustainability and how I can continue to make small changes in everyday life that will hopefully soon spread into my teaching practices.
The format has been good, it can be hard to engage if you don't put the effort in to collaborate with others online but the freedom to go through the information at your own pace was great then being able to put that into practice with the projects was a good way to end the experience. Thanks again to Ali and Katie and the SSN (smile)
[11/09/2020 11:26 am] Brock Sherriff
I really enjoyed learning about sustainable developments. I found interesting information about all the ways the SSN works and the projects they do. This opportunity was truly great and made me more conscious about the use of water and general products. I have learned a lot that i did not previously now and will continue to try to be more sustainable in the future.
[11/09/2020 11:27 am] Lachlan Newell
Not having physical prac has been a bit of a let down as online classes are not the same as being present in the classroom, however, this online impact project project has been very interesting and informative. I did not expect this impact program with the SSN to be as engaging as what it was. For the first day it was a little quiet and only a few of us were posting and engaging but now, there are a large number of people posting daily and engaging with everyone making it a better environment for all involved. Thanks to the SSN for providing us with an alternative to prac and helping us all out.
[11/09/2020 12:01 pm] Jasmine Robaldo
I absolutely loved this experience and learning about sustainability in education. It gave me insight as to what I can do as a teacher to implement it myself. The instructions were clearly set out as to what we needed to do, whilst giving us a bit of freedom too. I enjoyed working in a group and we were able to work collaboratively by calling each other over teams. I appreciate the time you have all put into making this option possible for us as our prac unit. Look forward to collaborating again in the future.
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[11/09/2020 1:32 pm] Connor Pryce
Loved the experience! Everything the SSN stands for I would like to implement into my own teaching when I graduate from the course. Was very well set up and never seemed repetitive or boring. The information we were interacting with had a real world element to it. If I was to do this task again I'd like to work in a group however, work commitments prevented me from doing so on this occasion. Look forward to seeing what the SSN does in the future and potentially collaborating again in the not so distant future!
[11/09/2020 2:16 pm] Jaymin Boulton
I enjoyed the time I spent learning about the sustainable schools network. Throughout the two weeks I now have an understanding of how I would like to implement sustainability in my own classroom. From the completion of both weeks I now have a greater understanding of the efforts that go into the classroom to teach about sustainability.
[11/09/2020 2:25 pm] Mariah Lowes
I am extremely grateful for the experience and loved every second of it. It helped me understand the true meaning of sustainability and what I need to and can be doing to help out my local ecosystem. I will definitely implement it within my own teaching as I believe it is important for everyone to understand so we can start helping out our world as soon as possible. I enjoyed the past 2 weeks and thought it was well set out.
[11/09/2020 2:27 pm] Ethan Allen
These past two weeks have given me an amazing insight on sustainability in education and how important it really can be for not only life but also the learning side. I am very grateful for the team at SSN for coming out and helping improve my insights and gain much needed knowledge that I had never known or even really thought about. I think it would be vital that the students of next year do the same 2 week program as it's something that will help me not only through my entire teaching career, but also through the rest of my life..
[11/09/2020 2:48 pm] Lucy Martin
This experience with the SSN has been phenomenal. From the very beginning, the communication has been excellent and what we have been needing to do has been made abundantly clear. The content provided for us has given us really good insight into different elements of being a teacher, and honestly this has been such a great opportunity to learn these valuable lessons so early in our careers. I also think that because this is our first placement, we will be able to embed our new knowledge of sustainability throughout our careers as we have already been given this lens to view the rest of our course through. Again, the clearly communicated structure of these last two weeks have alleviated so much potential stress, and all staff members involved have been exceedingly supportive and kind. Thank you all at the SSN so much for this fantastic opportunity, it has been deeply valued.
[11/09/2020 3:06 pm] Matthew Millward
I could write a whole other speech and make a video on just the things I learnt through this program. Having a whole week to dive in and go through research that peers found useful was honestly something I wish there was time for in regular uni timetables. I stepped into the second week feeling as though I had a strong foundation of the SDG (my research project was on these) and what is being done around the world by people in current times to be more sustainable. To me it never felt like work, and often I would spend more than the required 5 hours a day watching videos, or reading reports, simply because the SSN sparked a fire in me to actually take this seriously and try to create something worthwhile for myself and for the organisation. I'm proud of my peers within the SSN project as a whole and I'm looking forward to keeping up to date with the SSN moving forward away from this project. Thank you again for providing us with this opportunity.
[11/09/2020 3:11 pm] Mathew Compex
My experience has been very positive. Alison and Katie have been excellent and have provided heaps of communication and help within the program. Through these last two weeks I've greatly expanded my personal knowledge of sustainability and what it is as a concept and what I can do to help. It has been a great opportunity to learn all these concepts to better my own understanding as a future educator. I've enjoyed project B and making a video was fun and a great change from a written assessment or something related to that. With all that said Thanks to the SSN team for providing this opportunity.
[11/09/2020 3:13 pm] Mahiru Imamura
I loved working in this program. Alison has been very helpful and supportive throughout these last two weeks and it was very educational for me. It was great doing it in a Teams setting as it helped us view different ideas and share our research with each other. The video project gave us creative freedom to express our research and educate others as well/
[11/09/2020 3:18 pm] Caroline Waugh
I've really enjoyed the last two weeks and have gained a lot of new knowledge on sustainability, and especially on how to implement sustainable goals and ideals into my own future classrooms. I really appreciate all the SSN has done for us over the last two weeks and am so thankful to have had this experience. I am looking forward to seeing the SSN's growth in the future and all the wonderful outcomes of teaching sustainability to schools and students.
[11/09/2020 3:20 pm] Claudia Armstrong
Prior to commencing these two weeks working with the SSN, I really was unsure of what to expect. I’m sure all of us were disappointed that we didn’t get to complete our first prac in school, but I really think that I have learned so much value for my future as a teacher regardless. I am very happy to report that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The way the two weeks were structured worked really well for me. Particularly, I loved having the freedom to create a video that introduced the SSN and Efs in relation to my interests (I was in project B). The SSN is doing great work and it has been a privilege to learn about this organisation. Before, Efs was just something I was interested in. Now I can say it is something I am passionate about.
[11/09/2020 3:42 pm] Mark Brady
This experience was all I thought it would be and more. I really believe in what the SSN is doing and I think that it is being done in such a compassionate and caring way that everyone who comes into contact with it will believe what is being taught. The SSN is creating such incredible groundwork for all of us as teachers to inspire the young people who we come into contact with to not only live in a more sustainable way, but also to want to inspire their peers to do the same. I really look forward to seeing the SSN grow, I am so happy I was a part of it and I wish to do more with them in the future. Thank you!
[11/09/2020 4:00 pm] Cameron Swain
This was such an amazing experience! I have learned a lot about sustainability and how it is being included within education. It was really great to begin learning about it so early on my degree so I can be able to build on my knowledge and incorporate it into my teaching. I had no idea what this experience was going to be like coming into this, but I am so grateful for this opportunity as it has helped me get a solid understanding of sustainability and the SSN. Thank you guys!
[11/09/2020 4:22 pm] Thomas Evans
I thought this experience was great. I didn't know what to expect before starting this experience but I've really enjoyed learning about sustainability both inside and outside of the classroom. I think the biggest thing I learnt was about how to implement sustainable education within the classroom and the ways that curriculum content is related to sustainable education. Thank you to the people at SSN and everyone who undertook this experience for making it a positive one.
[11/09/2020 4:22 pm] Anna Atkinson
To be honest before this experience I did not know much about sustainability and its relationship with the Australian Curriculum. This experience has taught me so much and has definitely aided me as a pre-service teacher to understand the importance of sustainability. Thank you for allowing us to take part in this and for also being so helpful in providing information to complete and relate this back to our 1999 Assessment (laugh)
[11/09/2020 4:26 pm] Erin Quinn
This opportunity with the SSN has been extremely eye opening and beneficial as a future educator. I believe everyone should know and learn the basics of sustainability and this opportunity has enhanced my understanding. The knowledge that I've learnt over the past two weeks I will certainly be able to use in my future endeavours. This experience was well structured and well organised with so much support from Alison and Katie. Participating in option A not only allowed me to work with like minded individuals but was also extremely intriguing as I have learnt a lot about sustainability in schools and waste management. I will take away so much from this opportunity as it has also provided me with many resources that I can implement in the future.
[11/09/2020 4:41 pm] Ethan Parker
Thanks for the experience! This was a well of great information and knowledge on sustainability and on the goals of the organisation. I learnt a lot about the different SDG's and EfS. I really enjoyed researching new things and making a video about that new knowledge!
[11/09/2020 6:38 pm] Vicki Oostenbrink
I loved learning about sustainable education. Before taking part in this project I really didn't know much about sustainable education but now I feel like I know enough to start implementing changes in my life and when I start teaching. I am really learning about the zero waste movement and how to make zero waste lunch boxes. I really enjoyed working with the girls in my group, we worked well together and shared the load of the project evenly between us. We communicated well with each other and asked for advice when needed which is great when working in a team.
[11/09/2020 10:30 pm] Timothy Newman
Honestly the biggest thing I enjoyed was being forced to tackle video editing software again (cwl) forgetting how much of a love/hate relationship I had with it. Other than that though it was really great learning about sustainable development and its impact with teaching, really great resources posted all around not just by coordinators, but also by other students. It was amazing the wide range of items posted from all kinds of sources when everyone is sharing.
[11/09/2020 10:51 pm] Kaitlyne Van Doornum
This experience has taught me so much about sustainability! Not being able to do prac within an actual classroom was pretty disappointing, however, the SSN project has been an extremely engaging, interactive and informative experience that i'm so glad I participated in (smile) I am so happy that I was given the opportunity to learn more about education for sustainability through SSN and am so excited to be able to implement everything I have learnt into my future classrooms! P.S. Alison Sammel was such an amazing help along the way!!!
[12/09/2020 10:43 am] Alexander Smith
I will be honest - Before commencing this internship this subject was starting to become more of a burden than an experience as the placements have been a little disorganized (No fault of our teaching team, it's a complex time) however, my experience the last two weeks learning about sustainability, tying it into an educational perspective and further just learning about some really cool stuff that is both local and international was amazing! I feel like it's provided me with a more holistic view on my surroundings and also got my brain ticking over on how I can be more sustainable in my personal life as well as my upcoming professional career. Thank you again to the SSN team!
[12/09/2020 5:23 pm] Nikki Llewellyn
I would just like to thank those within the SSN for this opportunity to participate over the two weeks especially Kate and Alison ! Although I was a little unsure of how I would go and if it was going to be frustrating and boring, I actually loved being a part of this experience and getting to learn about sustainability and the SSN, along with what the SSN does and what the organisation provides. This has enhanced my knowledge and understanding on sustainability and ways of how I can help as an individual towards our planet. I also feel I have made new friendships and gained a little more confidence as I progressed within the experience. I have absolutely loved it and it has been an amazing insight and informative two weeks. Was disappointed that I couldn't do actual prac within a school due to covid, however, this was just as good and still very educational. Glad I got to be a part of it and I wish the SSN all the best. Everyone has been so lovely and supportive towards everyone which made me feel more comfortable and a lot less stressed. So thank you to everyone in the SSN team and everyone that was a part of the experience as well !!!!!!
[12/09/2020 10:46 pm] Brooke Randall
Loved the experience! Everything the SSN stands for I would like to implement into my own teaching when I graduate from the course. Was very organised and never seemed repetitive or boring. The information and knowledge we received was interacting and contained real world elements. If I was to complete this task again in the future I would like to complete a different project so I can explore more information and create a deeper understanding. I Look forward to seeing what the SSN does in the future and potentially collaborating again.
[12/09/2020 11:13 pm] Tamika Buttigieg
My experience with SSN was amazing! Initially, I was unsure how this project would contribute to the 1999 course, but the team was incredibly patient and helpful in guiding us and highlighting connections. This experience developed my knowledge of sustainability and made me consider the immense impact of each individual. Overall, SSN provided a fantastic opportunity, and I cannot wait to implement my new knowledge in teaching practices to promote and encourage a sustainable future.
[13/09/2020 3:01 pm] Nicolas Brabazon
When I started this course, I had no idea what sustainability had to do within schools as well as this course but realised sustainability is a key cog in the curriculum and everything we should do as future teachers. It was nice to learn a couple of new things that I could potentially add in the classroom to further enhance my students' knowledge as well. I would also highly recommend the SSN to schools so students can further enhance their knowledge of sustainability.
[14/09/2020 2:05 pm] Isabella Austin
Before starting this course, I was completely unsure as to what the SSN was and what sustainability in education really meant. Now I not only have a deeper understanding, but a deeper appreciation of sustainability within education. Not only this, but it has given me ideas for how to incorporate teaching for sustainability and teaching with sustainability into my future classrooms to engage and empower my future students and open their eyes to the world of sustainability. This will also help me to inspire them to make a difference and a change. Before starting this placement, I had no idea that organisations like the SSN existed but now I am in awe of them and all that they do because they are really making a difference, not just with us pre-service teachers, but with education and education for the future. It's crazy to think how much I have learned over the past two weeks. If I had the opportunity to do this placement again I would like to try another project to further my understanding even more.
[15/09/2020 12:07 pm] Paige Galbraith
I really enjoyed my two weeks experience with the SSN as the content was relevant, informative and interesting. I loved the fact we could go out and do our individual research on a wide range of topics related to sustainability and then come back and connect and collaborate with peers and staff. I would 100% participate in future educational opportunities with the SSN if given the chance!
[16/09/2020 2:18 pm] Paul Jackson
Thank you Alison, and thank you Katie, and thanks to the rest of the SSN board for making this option available. It took me a while to figure out how to properly get relevant info for the assignment, and in hindsight I would have gone through the induction far more thoroughly in the first week rather than just looking at all the amazing networking opportunities, and excellent INTERESTING links you put up as links. That is a reflection on my work though not the SSN, and not having the assignment at the forefront of my objectives whilst reading in the first week, I felt I lost valuable time at the back end when the assignment was due. These are first year student problems! and could have easily been avoided had I put my uni head on instead of my curious head on!!
[30/10/2020 10:02 am] Shaiden Bailey
I enjoyed the creativity this experience let me explore and the raw side of what’s actually going on in the world. I learnt what feels like a lifetime's worth of knowledge about the planet, our sustainability and what we need to do to save it and I have already implemented some of these small acts into my daily life. This has given me a new appreciation of the world, and teachers, because in the end, we are given the opportunity to show the younger generations that it’s not hard to keep our planet healthy and thriving.
[30/10/2020 10:54 am] Delano Govier-Douchamps
Over the last fortnight and especially in the first week, I was able to draw connections between education and other facets of society in ways that, prior, I would not have even considered. Gaining insight into what sustainability is and how it can massively impact an ecosystem, has allowed me to become more informed and will allow me to go forward with possible new methods to consider and implement in my own teaching. Thank you for the experience - Delano. G
[30/10/2020 12:57 pm] Angelina Watts
The last two weeks have been extremely eye opening as I explored the real climate change issues and sustainability in depth. I learnt what the SSN is and how amazing they are in so many factors. I was able to brainstorm how sustainability can be brought up and taught in the classroom. I am so much more aware of the threats our planet is facing and how I can change my own lifestyle to do my part. Thank you SSN and Ali.
[30/10/2020 4:09 pm] Tristan Kelly
I found my interests and knowledge of worldwide sustainability has significantly increased and it inspired me to make changes with my own life choices. I feel that as I am now more aware of these global problems, I have the confidence to express a more knowledgeable view to people in general. It’s made me realise what an important role teaching sustainability has in the education sector.
[02/11/2020 5:11 pm] Chloe Bennett
What I learnt through this experience regarding sustainability is our mindsets on consumption and textiles. I have just recently started learning how to sew, and it was interesting to find out about what damages the fashion and clothing industry have on our planet and encouraged me to consider a more sustainable approach, such as purchasing less toxic material, not chucking out my scraps as I had previously been doing, and donating or up-cycling clothes when I do not wear them anymore. Something I enjoyed about this experience was looking into sustainability and what sort of experiences and opportunities can happen, and how to include what I’ve learnt into my teaching in the future. It also helped me learn a lot about creating and incorporating videos into a learning space. Thank you to SSN and Ali for this opportunity and I wish you all the best in the future.
[03/11/2020 11:02 am] Ameena Choudary
This was a wonderful experience to be a part of. This experience has given me the opportunity to learn so much in such a short period. I have definitely gained a lot of knowledge on the sustainable environment, developed a sense of caring awareness, increased my respect and appreciation towards the environment, and the start of responsible conservation efforts – I have found myself trying to help out the environment in ways I possibly can. This course opened my mind to the various challenges confronting human beings in our world currently. It has brought awareness of the important role that I have to play to change the world's situations. This experience was overall interesting and relevant to the situations we face every day! Prior to this experience I had minimum knowledge and did not understand the importance of evolving as a society to create a better world for us all until now.
[04/11/2020 2:02 pm] Amber Hunter Youngjohns
This was a really fun experience. I really thought I knew a lot about sustainable development but once researching further i realised there was so much more to learn. I feel as though i would be much more confident teaching sustainable development practices within a classroom and being able to confidently make activities that support it. This brought a lot of disheartening things to my attention but I'm glad it did as I now know ways we can make a change and hopefully reach the SDGs. This experience has definitely changed my way of doing things and i will continue to make sustainable choices to set a good example to others
[11/11/2020 11:26 am] Ryan Mackenzie
My knowledge of sustainability has really changed from this experience. I really enjoyed learning about what sustainability means for us and the impact we all have on this planet. I am now more passionate about being sustainable and preserving our environment, I am much more aware of the life choices I make and how that will affect others and future generations and I now see the importance of passing it on to students as they will be the ones who grow up and lead our country and have to make sustainable decisions.
Overall, I enjoyed learning about SSN and sustainability and love what SSN is doing. The things that I have learnt over this professional experience will surely stick with me for a lifetime and it has positively affected the way I will teach.
Thank you Ali for all the effort you put into this!