Empowering Social Justice in Teacher Education: Two Free Toolkits You Should Know About
By Risto Marttinen, George Mason University
If you're a teacher educator passionate about equity, inclusion, and social justice—or even if you're just getting started in this space—you’re going to want to bookmark this.
In a recent episode of our podcast, I was joined by three amazing colleagues from the University of Limerick in Ireland: Prof. Elaine Murtagh, Dr. Carmen Barquero Ruiz, and Dr. Antonio Calderón. Together, they’ve helped create not one, but two freely available, research-informed toolkits to support social justice in teacher education. And honestly? They’re gold.
Let me walk you through what these toolkits are, where they came from, and why they’re game-changers.
🎯 Two Projects, One Purpose: Justice Ed & SATLE
The Justice Ed project—short for Education for Global Justice, Solidarity, and Interconnectedness—aims to bring social justice approaches into PETE (Physical Education Teacher Education) programs. Funded by Research Ireland, it was developed collaboratively between teacher educators and pre-service teachers from institutions in the island of Ireland (University of Limerick and Ulster University), the U.S. (Kent State), and Australia (Deakin University and the University of Melbourne).
The project had three main goals:
Support a network for faculty and pre-service teachers
Encourage practitioner research
Co-create a toolkit that’s practical, accessible, and ready to use in classrooms
Meanwhile, the SATLE project (Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement) zooms in at the micro level (e.g., course practices)—specifically helping pre-service teachers apply social justice concepts during their school placements. Funded by Ireland’s Higher Education Authority and the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, SATLE was born out of a need to close the gap between what students learn in university and what they’re able to practice in real-life classrooms.
🔨 Co-Creation Was Key
One thing that really impressed me about both projects was the authentic co-creation process. These weren’t just academics writing in isolation. The toolkits were created with the input of pre-service teachers, classroom practitioners, and external advisors.
As Antonio described, the process started by analyzing interview and focus group data from pre-service teachers. Themes—like the importance of language and the real-world tension between what teachers are taught and what they experience in the field were prominent in the data. From there, the team built out materials like glossaries, action plans, and visual prompts to directly address these lived experiences. It was a quite comprehensive data-informed co-creation process.
🧰 What’s In the Toolkits?
Both toolkits are packed with resources that are ready to use in your classroom or professional development session. Here’s what you’ll find:
Testimonials from teacher educators and pre-service teachers
Case Studies tackling real-life dilemmas in school placements
Visual Prompts designed by artist Brian Mathers to spark discussion
Suggested Activities and readings
Pedagogical frameworks for integrating social justice concepts
Interactive action plans created by pre-service teachers
My personal favorite? A case study about a pre-service teacher caught between her own inclusive training and a mentor teacher’s more traditional approach. Instead of speaking out, she chooses to quietly model inclusion in small ways. It’s exactly the kind of ethical dilemma that sparks deep discussion—and it’s all there, visually supported and accompanied by guiding questions.
🌍 Global Intentions, Local Adaptations
Elaine shared how Ireland’s national funding structures prioritize education for global citizenship and sustainable development. That emphasis has helped projects like Justice Ed and SATLE thrive, not just for Irish educators, but for the global community.
Importantly, the team worked hard to ensure the language in the toolkits is globally accessible. You won’t find country-specific terms or hard-to-transfer references. Everything is written in a way that makes sense for teacher educators across the world.
And they’re not done yet. The next step? They want to:
Expand the case studies
Translate resources into other languages
Research how educators are using these toolkits in real-life contexts
If you're already using them or plan to, they’re actively looking for feedback—another sign that these aren’t just a one-and-done project but a living, dynamic, and evolving resources.
📦 Access the Toolkits
Here’s where you can check them out:
🔗 Justice Ed Toolkit: https://doi.org/10.34961/researchrepository-ul.27931542.v1 🔗 SATLE Toolkit: https://pesportpedagogyul.wordpress.com/
Each toolkit is interactive. You can hover, click, download lesson plans, view videos, or dive into additional readings. You’ll find content that’s not only practical but also visually engaging and thought-provoking.
✊ Why This Matters
At the end of the day, these toolkits are more than resources. They’re a call to action.
They’re a reminder that we, as educators, have the power—and the responsibility—to shape inclusive, reflective, justice-centered learning spaces. And thanks to the thoughtful, collaborative work of Elaine, Carmen, Antonio, and their broader network, we now have two solid frameworks to help guide us.
So go ahead—download them, explore them, use them, remix them for your context. And if you do, don’t forget to share your experience. We’re all learning together.
Got thoughts or feedback on these resources? Reach out to the project leads or comment below. Let’s keep the conversation going. 🌍