Media-based reflections to foster climate literacy in mathematics teacher education

Abstract In teacher education, there is an urgent need to prepare graduates with the knowledge, skills and ethical dispositions required to address pressing global challenges, particularly climate change. This study was conducted in a mathematics teacher education programme at a public university in Hong Kong, where undergraduate prospective teachers (PTs) in mathematics engaged in media-based learning activities involving structured reflection and dialogue on pedagogical approaches for integrating climate literacy into mathematics teaching. Drawing on discourse analysis of PTs’ written reflections and group discussions, the study examines how they made sense of the climate emergency and their professional responsibilities as future educators. The findings indicate that media-based reflections fostered shared attention, emotional engagement, and a sense of collective responsibility among PTs. Participants also articulated shifts in perspective and envisaged changes to their mathematics teaching practices across three thematic areas: (1) raising awareness of climate change via cultivating data literacy, (2) teaching environmental sustainability through mathematical modelling, and (3) fostering critical evaluation of quantitative information and representations. This study highlights how media-based reflective pedagogies in mathematics teacher education can support the development of climate literacy by strengthening PTs’ capacity for critical reflection on sustainability issues and their pedagogical implications.