Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is one of the most concerning world issues. Many international teaching materials have been available to support educators to promote ESD since the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. One of them is the UNESCO program Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future (TLSF). TLSF does not prescribe the forms that a sustainable future might take. Instead, it encourages adaptations and applications of the learning activities to local situations and needs. We can also find elements related to ESD in Taiwan’s Grade 1-12 Curriculum Guidelines. However, their practice is unsatisfactory. Educational researchers and policymakers have not yet paid enough attention to teacher training and curriculum development for ESD. Therefore, this study applied action research. We adapted the TLSF modules to local conditions on three dimensions: learners, contemporary social contexts, and Grades 1-12 Curriculum. They met the needs and interests of learners in the Taiwanese environment, corresponded to the real situations in Taiwanese society, local communities, and schools, and followed the prescriptions of current curriculum guidelines. The participants were master’s students and doctoral students from an institute of education in Taiwan. Their learning results showed that this study enhanced their competencies for ESD and curriculum design. They also affirmed the importance of applying the TLSF modules to teaching and were willing to implement the modules in the future. This study Integrated global and local perspectives to contribute to curriculum development and instructional design for ESD teacher education and professional development in Taiwan to promote a sustainable future.

Keywords: Curriculum Development, Education for Sustainable Development, Teacher Education, Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future (TLSF)