Chemistry teachers reshape curriculum to address climate crisis and sustainability
A new study finds that experienced chemistry teachers are fundamentally reworking how they teach the subject to prepare students for environmental and social challenges. The shift signals a broader reimagining of science education that could influence curriculum development, textbook publishing, and teacher training programs worldwide.
Originaltitel: Contextualising an International Science Curriculum in the Anthropocene: Chemistry Teachers' Approach to Knowledge when Selective Traditions are Challenged
Kemilärares roll i klimatomställningen förändrar vad som lärs ut i klassrummet. Svenska gymnasielärare väljer nu att knyta kemiplanen till miljö- och klimautmaningar snarare än enbart abstrakt naturvetenskap. Malmö universitet intervjuade fem erfarna kemilärare som undervisar enligt både internationella (International Baccalaureate) och svenska kursplaner. Lärarna beskriver hur de hjälper elever att hantera känslomässiga reaktioner på Antropocens utmaningar genom kemisk kunskap. De ser kemi inte som isolerad disciplin utan som verktyg för att förstå systemkopplingar mellan miljö, ekonomi och samhälle. Studien visar att traditionell kemiundervisning omförhandlas. För kommuner och skolledningar innebär det behov av lärarfortbildning och uppdaterade läromedel som integrerar hållbarhet. Denna omvärdering påverkar även lärarutbildningen och framtida läroplansdiskussioner.
<p>The urgent and contemporary challenges of the Anthropocene confront science education and the historical period in which science education has developed. Engaging with this confrontation, the article turned to experienced chemistry teachers in a case study by exploring how they approach school chemistry knowledge in the Anthropocene. Focus group discussions among experienced upper secondary chemistry teachers were analysed to address this aim. Five chemistry teachers deeply immersed in the chemistry discipline discussed chemistry education in the context of the Anthropocene. The participating teachers are experienced with international (Diploma Programme of International Baccalaureate) and national (Swedish) chemistry curricula. The analyses showed that through chemistry knowledge, the teachers mediate conflicting emotions for their students to engage with the challenges of the Anthropocene. Furthermore, realising the entanglements of chemistry with other systems, school chemistry knowledge is viewed as a prerequisite and a central tool for engaging with the ethico-socio-political challenges of the Anthropocene. The article discusses the findings as perspective-generating results, regarding taken-for-granted assumptions on chemistry education and selective traditions.</p>