Building capacities in professional and experiential learning: designing creative, reflective and sustainable practices in teacher education

The landscape of teaching and learning is undergoing significant shifts, both pedagogically and in curriculum development. The nature of tomorrow’s workforce will require teachers to move away from the test and to facilitate the development of a different set of skills and knowledge that enhance attributes of flexibility and resilience in students. While discipline specific knowledge and skills are important, greater emphasis is being placed on the capabilities of self-efficacy, critical and creative thinking, and communication to manage in complex and disruptive environments. This paper explores two professional learning courses for teachers, developed in response to the initiation of an Academy of Continuing Education at a Sydney-based university in Australia. The discussion will focus on critical aspects of development, involving how the need for the courses was established, which in turn informed the pedagogical frameworks underpinning the design and evolution of the; ‘Reflective practice: Enhancing professional practice and promoting wellbeing’ and the ‘Sustainability Cross-Curriculum’ courses. Both courses meet the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA, 2017) newly introduced Proficient or High Achiever accreditation requirements for all teachers, as well as The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA, 2014) framework for critical and creative thinking.