Visual representation is a powerful tool in education and for analyzing the complexity of people in societies in their natural and built environments. This presentation reflects on time-geography in education and research about socio-environmental relationships and its potential in Education for Sustainable Development, ESD. It is exemplified by how time geography can be applied to reflect on the sustainable development goals in time-space contexts. The presentation is part of a study which explores how approaches in geography and environmental science focus on the relationships of humans to our environment in teacher education in Environmental Education in South Africa and Human Geography in Sweden. In this study, we argue the necessity for models and world views that provide educators and learners with tools to do complex analysis of agency in socio-environmental contexts in a structured and constructive manner. Two approaches to modelling socio-ecological relationships in time and space to be used in environmental and geography teacher education are discussed. These two models are rooted in critical realism and time-geography respectively. We identify and compare inherent concepts, tools and powers of the two models which can enrich teaching strategies for social and environmental education/learning. Central concepts in both models which are explored regarding synergies and complementarity are biographies, time-space relationships, and agency in relation to socio-environmental contexts. In addition, each model provides central concepts that make this analysis and teaching approach more complete.