Considering the advancement of future science education
In September 2019, the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) Science Special Interest Group hosted a symposium themed "Science Education for the Future." The event aimed to provoke thinking and discussion about the implications for science education in dealing with complex issues, particularly in the context of the Anthropocene era.
Ally Bull, a renowned writer, covered the event, gathering insights from various contributors. Their contact details can be obtained by emailing the Science Learning Hub.
One of the key discussions revolved around the importance of ensuring that students do not lose a sense of hope and that programs with a strong emphasis on taking action seem to be important. Some scholars argued that the complexity, chaos, and uncertainty of our current times demand a rethinking of old certainties, including the old image of science.
Rose suggested a sequence of changes to the curriculum: principled content reduction, rethinking central concepts, and teaching complex dynamic systems. She proposed that focusing on the history and philosophy of science could help achieve this meta-view.
Simon, on the other hand, promoted knowledge building as an effective pedagogy for framing future-oriented science education. Learners would work together to create knowledge, reorienting themselves from outsider observers to being deeply embedded within the world.
The idea of platforming was proposed as a strategy for adapting the school curriculum to respond to complex challenges, such as climate change. Platforming the curriculum aims to encourage students to think in different ways, to be able to hold multiple perspectives and embrace complexity.
Thomas argued for a national climate science education initiative in Aotearoa New Zealand to lay the groundwork for climate change mitigation and adaptation policy frameworks. Kelly suggested addressing misinformation and pseudoscience in school science by fostering meta/macro thinking and developing a skillset around knowledge discernment.
Ethical considerations became important when recognizing that science is a human endeavor. The Hub's Ethics thinking tool and Futures thinking toolkit can support students' thinking and decision-making skills.
The NZARE blog provides more research, ideas, and wonderings on science education. The symposium included papers on reimagining school science for the Anthropocene, rebalancing science education for the Anthropocene era, platforming the science curriculum, re-envisaging science education, the role of epistemology in science education, knowledge building as a future focus pedagogy in science classrooms, the urgent need for a national climate science education initiative for Aotearoa New Zealand, and addressing misinformation and pseudoscience by fostering meta/macro thinking in school science.
While specific details about the proposed changes and implications for science education in the Anthropocene era were not found in the retrieved documents or papers, typical themes discussed at such symposia often include emphasizing sustainability, ecological literacy, and systems thinking in science education to address the complex environmental challenges of the Anthropocene. Integrating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives alongside scientific content, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills, shifting curricula from traditional disciplinary silos toward interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, and incorporating local and global environmental issues into classroom learning are also common themes.
For detailed insights explicitly from the NZARE 2019 symposium, specialized academic repositories or NZARE's conference proceedings archives would be the next best step to consult.
Science education initiatives, such as the one discussed at the NZARE 2019 symposium, emphasize the importance of science learning and self-development in dealing with complex issues like climate change. To foster future-oriented education, scholars advocate for curriculum changes that promote knowledge building, platforming, systems thinking, and ethics consideration, all integrated with Indigenous knowledge and perspectives.
