scholarly journals Addressing Education for Sustainable Development in the Teaching of Science: The Case of a Biological Sciences Teacher Education Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12028
Author(s):  
Deirdre Hogan ◽  
Joanne O’Flaherty
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

Education plays a key role in ensuring that all learners are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set out the key challenges of our time with targets to protect the planet, end poverty, and improve the prospects of all people by 2030. As global challenges including access to healthcare and climate change escalate, the need for action is even more pressing. Education is an enabler of change and presents opportunities to support learners to explore how they can participate in transformative education experiences that focus on building a more sustainable world. Science education provides unique opportunities to explore sustainability given the nature of the discipline, the knowledge it reflects, and its focus on inquiry based pedagogical approaches. This study explores the nature of science as an academic discipline, as it is lived and perceived within the teaching of an undergraduate Science Education (biological sciences) program in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) and its capacity for the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). An ethnographic informed research design was adopted to document the social culture, perspectives, and practices inherent in the educational setting. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with academics and tutors from the HEI’s Science Department who contribute to the program (n = 11). Focus groups were held with pre-service teachers enrolled on the program (n = 21) and observations from lectures, laboratory sessions, and field trips were carried out. Findings arising from analysis of data point to a strong link between science and society in science education, and the need for learners to develop critical scientific literacy that enables them to meaningfully navigate the multiple perspectives presented in media and public debates relating to sustainability issues. Findings suggest that while sustainability themes permeated some modules in the program, the emphasis was on imparting hard, technical knowledge rather than allowing for the critical exploration of issues. Results also highlight some discipline specific challenges to adopting discursive pedagogical approaches in the science education program. Some ways of understanding these findings are explored.

scholarly journals Luonnontiedekasvatuksen muuttuvat tavoitteet: luonnontieteellisestä lukutaidosta kestävyyskasvatukseen, toimijuuteen ja tulevaisuusajatteluun

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Laherto
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
School Science ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Transformative Education ◽  
Futures Studies ◽  
Alternative Futures ◽  
Action Science ◽  
Building Activities

Globaalit ympäristö- ja kestävyyskriisit muuttavat luonnontiedekasvatuksen tavoitteita, didaktiikkaa ja tutkimusta. Luonnontieteellisen lukutaidon (engl. scientific literacy) merkitys kytketään yhä useammin transformatiiviseen kestävyyskasvatukseen. Siinä ei riitä, että koulussa opitaan luonnontieteen sisältötietoa tai sen käyttämistä arjessa, vaan luonnontiedekasvatuksen pitää lisäksi tukea vastuullista toimijuutta ja arvopohjaista muutosta sekä yksilöissä että yhteiskunnassa. Artikkelissa argumentoidaan, että tulevaisuudentutkimuksen ajattelutapoja hyödyntämällä on mahdollista tukea vaihtoehtojen ja vaikutusmahdollisuuksien näkemistä ja niihin tarttumista. Luonnontieteiden opetus tarjoaa hyvän alustan skenaarioajattelulle, tulevaisuuden epävarmuuden kohtaamiselle ja uudistavan toimijuusorientaation rakentamiselle. Ehdotuksia konkretisoidaan esittelemällä I SEE -projektissa kehitettyä tulevaisuusorientoitunutta luonnontiedeopetusta. Lopuksi pohditaan ehdotusten ajankohtaista merkitystä kestävyysongelmien ja COVID19-pandemiankin aikoina.   Changing Goals of Science Education: From Scientific Literacy to Education for Sustainable Development, Agency, and Futures thinking Abstract Global sustainability crises are changing the aims, pedagogies and research in science education. The field is increasingly oriented towards transformative education for sustainable development. School science should now support responsible agency and value-based transformation. This article argues that the thinking in the field of Futures Studies can help students to see alternative futures and take action. Science education provides excellent opportunities for scenario building activities, addressing the uncertainty, and shaping transformative agentic orientations. Future-oriented activities developed in the I SEE project are presented as an example. The suggestions are discussed with relation to the topical sustainability crises and the COVID19 pandemic. Keywords: science education, education for sustainable development, futures thinking, agency

scholarly journals Systematic Review of Education for Sustainable Development at an Early Stage: Cornerstones and Pedagogical Approaches for Teacher Professional Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martín Bascopé ◽  
Paolo Perasso ◽  
Kristina Reiss
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Expert Committee ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

During recent decades, education for sustainable development (ESD) has been under the scope of the international community, but research in ESD for early childhood education (ECE) is still scarce. This article proposes a procedural framework for the implementation of teacher professional development opportunities in the area. During the first phase, we undertook a systematic review of peer-reviewed articles on ESD for ECE (n = 30). After an expert committee revision of the articles reviewed, three cornerstones (scientific action-integrated, community-based and value-oriented scopes) and three sets of suitable pedagogical approaches (art-based, outdoor-based and project-problem-based) were identified. The review was enhanced by an unsystematic review of articles (n = 26) that specifically referred to the cornerstones and approaches. Finally, a double-blind expert coding and categorization of the articles (n = 56) was performed in order to validate the results. Focusing on guidelines and approaches, different examples found in the literature are presented. This review offers a useful framework to understand and practice ESD in ECE. Unlike previous reviews, it has a practical scope to foster innovative teacher professional development opportunities, inspire teachers and inform policy makers. We conclude with some common challenges and the needs for educational systems to foster science-based citizenship education towards sustainable development in a practical way, fostering agency from an early stage to transform local context, creating global awareness of the environmental, social and economic challenges of the 21st century.

Education for sustainable development in chemistry – challenges, possibilities and pedagogical models in Finland and elsewhere

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 488-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. Juntunen ◽  
M. K. Aksela
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Green Chemistry ◽  
Chemistry Education ◽  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Chemistry Teachers ◽  
Current State ◽  
Pedagogical Models ◽  
Pedagogical Frameworks

This article analyses Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in chemistry by reviewing existing challenges and future possibilities on the levels of the teacher and the student. Pedagogical frameworks that are found eligible in practice are reviewed. Lesson themes that are suitable for implementing socio-scientific issues (SSI) related to ESD into basic chemistry education at schools are discussed. Based on this analysis, three new demonstrative pedagogical models for ESD in chemistry are presented to help guide the work of teachers. The models draw on an interdisciplinary reading of research in the field of SSI-based science education, sustainability science, green chemistry and environmental education. The current state of ESD in Finnish chemistry education is used as an example case throughout the article. Two tasks where future development is required were recognised. The first task concerns supporting chemistry teachers in overcoming the challenges with SSI and ESD they face in their work. The second task is to ensure that students are more often provided with more relevant and flexible chemistry content and studying methods.

scholarly journals Prioritizing Elements of Science Education for Sustainable Development with the MCDA-FDEMATEL Method Using the Flipped E-Learning Scheme

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Su Jeong ◽  
David González-Gómez ◽  
Florentina Cañada-Cañada
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Learning System ◽  
Fuzzy Decision Making ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Learning Scheme ◽  
E Learning

Selecting and ordering components for sustainable science education is a critical issue, which is presently obtaining increased attention because of being at an early stage and scarce application in higher education. Though the flipped e-learning scheme is one of the novel information and communication technologies (ICTs), it can be of great relevance in a long-term learning program for various sustainable science education criteria. This research presents an approach to identify and analyze elements for science education for sustainable development with multi-criteria decision analysis-fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (MCDA-FDEMATEL) method by flipped e-learning system. With the method proposed, the main elements are collected as science-education, sustainable-development, technology-infrastructure and flipped-e-learning elements. The final results’ analyses with sixteen sub-elements are assessed with weighted linear combination (WLC) and sensitivity-analysis (I to VI implementations) in the context of the MCDA-FDEMATEL method. The most important element and sub-element for science education for sustainable development through flipped e-learning teaching are sustainable-development (as an element), VI implementation with 0.540 weight, and environmental contents (as a sub-element) with 0.570 weight. Consequently, this proposed approach could be used in different studies to validate the most important aspects of science education for sustainable development through flipped e-learning teaching elements and sub-elements with equivalent and comparable education settings.

scholarly journals Transformative Learning and Pedagogical Approaches in Education for Sustainable Development: Are Initial Teacher Education Programmes in England and Turkey Ready for Creating Agents of Change for Sustainability?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8973
Author(s):  
Douglas Bourn ◽  
Nese Soysal
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Transformative Approach ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a feature of academic and policy debates within initial teacher education around the world. A theme within these debates is the extent to which ESD is more than just a body of knowledge, and if it suggests different pedagogical approaches which may be prevalent in most countries. Another feature of these debates is whether ESD can be seen as suggesting a transformative approach as opposed to a transmissive approach. As a qualitative study, using examples from research and evidence gathered in England and Turkey through document analysis, this article identifies both the opportunities and challenges for teacher education courses using ESD as a means for promoting a distinctive pedagogical approach and whether they can be seen as posing transformative learning.

scholarly journals Primary Student Teachers’ Understanding of Basic Ideas of Nature of Science: Laws, Theories and Models

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantina Stefanidou ◽  
Constantine Skordoulis
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
International Policy ◽  
Primary Student ◽  
Basic Ideas

Nature of Science is an integral part of scientific literacy which researchers and international policy-making institutions highlight as the purpose of science education. The notions of scientific law, theories and models are crucial for understanding the Nature of Science. These notions are better grasped in the historical context of Nature of Science.  For this purpose, appropriate instructional sequences, based on semi-structured interviews, were designed and implemented to investigate whether and how the student teachers of Primary Education can perceive these concepts. The study revealed that after particular difficulties were confronted, student teachers were able to grasp firmly the notions of scientific law, theories, models and the relationships among them.

Becoming a competent teacher in education for sustainable development

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Ole Brandt ◽  
Lina Bürgener ◽  
Matthias Barth ◽  
Aaron Redman
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Competence Development ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Action Competence

Purpose This paper aims to provide a holistic approach to assessing student teachers’ competence development in education for sustainable development (ESD). This is to provide evidence on which teaching and learning formats help to foster which aspects of ESD-specific professional action competence in teachers. The studied competencies consist of content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the willingness to actively support and implement ESD. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study design was used on two sequential modules of a university’s teacher education program. A mixed-methods approach was applied that combined surveys, videotaped and PhotoVoice-supported focus groups, as well as pre- and post-assessment tools. Qualitative data analysis was based on the coding paradigm of the qualitative content analysis, whereas quantitative data were interpreted by means of descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests. Findings The results from this study clearly indicate that the two courses contributed to a shift in students’ non-cognitive dispositions. The study also provides evidence on the students’ competence development and demonstrates how two different learning settings support different dimensions of teachers’ professional action competence in terms of ESD. Originality/value The triangulation of data enabled not only a mere competence assessment but also deeper insights into learning processes, as well as into the drivers of and barriers to competence development. Furthermore, the study introduces an innovative approach to assessing the development of PCK.

scholarly journals We Learnt a Lot: Challenges and Learning Experiences in a Southern African—North European Municipal Partnership on Education for Sustainable Development

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8607
Author(s):  
Kerstin Sonesson ◽  
Birgitta Nordén
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Transformational Learning ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Global Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Critical Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Formation ◽  
Development Goals

This study investigates a reciprocal partnership between two cities in Namibia and Sweden to deepen the understanding of challenges and learning outcomes in a project on education for sustainable development. Since 2008, two municipalities have developed a strong partnership via The Municipal Partnership Programme at the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy. Municipal partnerships are results-oriented collaborations in joint projects on sustainability. The purpose is to describe how eight team members in the mutual South-North project, by addressing similar problems in different contexts, experienced challenges in the implementation of the project plan, solutions and learning processes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at the end of the second project year. Transcripts and field notes were analysed using a phenomenographic approach and contextual analysis. Five main categories of description based on collective statements and three dimensions of learning were recognised in the research data. The analysis identifies strategies for critical knowledge formation and capability building to support mutual learning in South-North Municipal Partnerships. The concluding discussion spots the learning dimensions—how sharing experiences by justifying non-formal and transformational learning promotes organisations’ readiness for knowledge formation by conducting mutual global learning towards sustainable development goals.

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