Transforming pedagogy for a socially just and sustainable world

The urgency of a response to global and local issues was heightened by events that occurred while the book was being written and edited. Teaching for social and environmental justice and sustainability, however, brings with it additional responsibilities: to take a critical look at our own assumptions about the world, recognising and confronting our own biases and prejudices; to examine and acknowledge whether people or our communities have benefited from inequality and environmental destruction and how our everyday practices work to sustain them, locally and globally; to examine our practice as teachers in light of this interrogation and to take appropriate action. Supporting children to take a critical perspective on the world and to recognise the need to attend to and engage with multiple voices can help children connect with complexity, challenge and diversity at a cognitive level.