Change Project-Based Learning in Teacher Education in Botswana

• Main Authors: Mphemelang Joseph Ketlhoilwe, Nthalivi Silo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Environmental Association of Southern Africa 2016-12-01
• Series: Southern African Journal of Environmental Education
• Online Access: https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/152737
• ISSN: 2411-5959; 2411-5959

Environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) pedagogies are intricate, and to enhance learning, teacher education has to be innovative in teaching approach. This article investigates how the change project approach enhances project-based learning in practice. The investigation is based on teacher education programmes in Botswana teacher education institutions (colleges of education) where a few teacher educators were introduced to Education for Strong Sustainability and Agency (ESSA) change projects. Preliminary results of the change projects’ evaluation indicate that change project ideas were enthusiastically accepted by teacher-educators and students across the teacher education colleges in Botswana. This research is a follow-up to change project implementation and its outcomes in two teacher education institutions in Botswana. It is framed within a project-based learning approach in teacher education. Data were generated through site visit observations and interviews with teacher-educators and studentteachers. The outcome indicated the viability of project-based learning (PBL) as an appropriate approach to transformative pedagogies for ESD in teacher education. The PBL approach is recommended for teacher training education to facilitate strong sustainability and agency among student-teachers.