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We explored the potential for addressing nature of science through a historic narrative about disagreement between researchers concerning a socio-scientific issue, incidence of juvenile thyroid cancer following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. The narrative was developed from authentic sources and tested in two cycles. Eight groups of three to four high-school students were audio recorded. Transcripts were analyzed regarding what nature of science emerged in the discussions and what understanding about NOS could be discerned, using three complementary NOS-frameworks (Consensus-NOS, Whole Science-NOS, FRA-NOS). Together, the student groups touched upon 19 different NOS-themes as they tried to make sense of the disagreement related in the narrative. All groups addressed a common core of NOS-themes, most of which were central to the narrative itself, although some themes that were not part of the narrative also emerged. Students displayed a basic understanding of the tentative, empirical, and subjective nature of science together with the role of evidential relevance and completeness of evidence related to the choice of scientific methods. On the other hand, students did not reckon with peer review as a means for establishing knowledge and resolving disagreement. Moreover, although students readily accepted disagreement as a basic property of science, they had difficulty handling this disagreement when coping with the SSI in the narrative. We discuss how the combination of history of science-in-the-making and SSI in narrative form offers opportunities to teach NOS without risking simplified messages of how scientific knowledge develops or how science can be used to address socio-scientific issues.

Research has shown the importance of dealing with real-life issues and of enabling student encounters with complexity in chemistry education in order to increase student participation. Therefore, this study aims to analyse how complexity evolves in students' discussions and how this complexity relates to aspects of tentativeness in chemistry. In the study, we analyse how a previously developed didactic model can be refined from the students' considerations evolving from the present context. The study was conducted as an in situ study in one upper-secondary school. Students' discussions were recorded on video. The recordings were transcribed and analysed using deliberative educational questions. Two different kinds of considerations emerged in the students' discussions: factual and exploratory considerations. While factual considerations are an important element of chemistry education, students also need to encounter exploratory considerations. The study proposes a didactic model useful for teachers in didactic analysis and design of activities aiming to support students to unfold complexity through exploratory considerations. One implication is to base activities on real-life issues in order to invite the unpredictability needed for experiencing complexity and the exploratory nature of chemistry. These issues enable students to experience aspects of tentativeness in chemistry and thereby increase their understanding of NOS and chemistry as a knowledge building practice. Furthermore, this might also increase student participation in chemistry education.

Allt oftare omnämns att planetens tillstånd befinner sig i en ny tidsepok; Antropocen – människans tidsålder. Förutom den geologiska lydelsen pekar tillståndet även på det paradigmskifte i tänkande mänskligheten nu befinner sig i. Vår färdväg definieras som alltmer akut ohållbar. Från ett samlat vetenskapssamhälle framförs nu nödvändigheten av att på kort tid åstadkomma omvälvande förändringar, i en omfattning vi tidigare inte skådat. I det sammanhanget lyfts också ofta utbildningens centrala roll. I den här artikeln lutar vi oss främst mot den franska filosofen Bruno Latours resonemang om de konsekvenser antropocen har för människans behov av relationsskapande och tillhörighet. Eller formulerat som en utmaning att konfronteras med i undervisningen: Hur kan undervisningen skapa relationer med ”det mer än mänskliga” där människan utgör en integrerad del i biosfärens levande och materiella processer? Med hjälp av tre konkreta exempel från två skolor och med teori och analytiskt fokus hämtat från pragmatiska perspektiv på kommunikation, utforskar vi Latours efterfrågan av ”The terrestrial”. I den argumentativa texten visar vi hur detta kan identifieras i termer av öppna naturmöten, i relationsskapande och i demokratiska processer, vilka synliggör hur vi människor är sammankopplade med biosfären. I artikeln pekar vi också på några didaktiska riktningsgivare vilka kan vara till hjälp för lärare att skapa en undervisning som möjliggör för det omedelbara naturmötet, öppnar för det relationella utrymmet och stödjer genomlevandet av demokrati som en form av liv., reclaim the climate

Doing science involves the process of formulating a researchable question, a method, collecting and analysing data, and to evaluate and communicate the findings. Learning to do science thus involves an engagement in both the process and the object of the inquiry. A conceptual tool to help teachers plan laboratory work and inquiry teaching is the educational model degree of freedom, which is based on whether the question, method and answer are open or given. We follow the work of three 14-15 year old students thorough an inquiry project with three degrees of freedom. The students conducted an inquiry about the different between sound and light. Our research question is: How can an inquiry project with three degrees of freedom contribute to students’ development in doing science? As a theoretical framework we used a pragmatic perspective on learning and meaning making and conducted a practical epistemological analysis, PEA, with the development of deliberative educational questions, DEQ and Organizing purposes. The findings show that the process of doing science cannot be learned as a linear process which starts with doing a research question and ends with the result. It also indicates the delicate balance between letting the students negotiate obstacles and helping the students with more explicit teaching during the inquiry process.

Socioscientific issues (SSI) concern social issues, often lacking simple solutions, that relate to science and often also risk controversies. SSIs have become an established part of science education, aiming to teach students not only about content knowledge but also about the nature of science and to offer them practice in argumentation and decision making. We performed a scoping review of the literature on SSI in science education research, in order to investigate if the topics covered would lean themselves to education about risk, and if risk is raised in these works. Using Web of Science we identified 296 empirical publications and 91 theoretical or review publications about SSI teaching in science education. The empirical publications covered studies performed in primary to tertiary school, most commonly upper secondary school (32%). The most frequently taught SSI themes were nature conservation, biotechnology, and climate change. Despite that these, as most of the other identified themes, clearly are connected to risk analysis and risk management, few publications raised the concept of risk and the methods of risk analysis. In fact, almost half (empirical: 48%, theoretical: 49%) did not mention risk at all. We argue that SSIs present an opportunity for risk researchers to engage with educators to incorporate risk in school science education and to contribute in developing teaching materials suitable toward that aim.

Hållbar utveckling – grundskola åk 1–6Modul: Hållbar utvecklingDel 6: Globala mål och möten

Introduktionen tar upp det vi kallar ett didaktiskt raster. Syftet med det är att ge en inblick i hur hållbarhetsfrågorna diskuteras i pedagogisk och didaktisk forskning och låta det bli redskap för reflektion över didaktiska vad-, hur- och varför-frågor kopplat till undervisning. I inledningen till modulen ligger frågornas allvar som en resonansbotten. Här tar vi upp några didaktiska spår som sedan följs upp i de olika delarna. Som vuxna behöver vi ta ansvar för våra barn och kommande generationer. I det sammanhanget är ditt arbete som lärare är ett av det mest viktiga som finns. Men hur problematiken ska tacklas i mötet med de yngre åldrarna är omdiskuterat. Här är det viktigt att inte förlora hoppet om att det också går att vända vissa av de negativa trenderna. Därför vill vi också bjuda på ingångar till hur man kan närma sig ett problematiskt och mörkt budskap genom att inspirera eleverna till nya tankar som ger dem kraft att kunna ta till sig och bearbeta de negativa bilder de omges av., Modul: Hållbar utveckling - Hållbar utveckling, åk 1–6 Del 1: Didaktiska utmaningar och perspektiv på hållbar utveckling

In continental Europe didactics is identified as the professional science of teachers. A central concern of didactics is not only to deliver teaching methods for teachers and teacher education, but also to develop analytical units, analytical methods and design principles that are useful for teachers in making decisions on planning, carrying out and assessing teaching and learning. Didactic research provides rationales and conceptual schemata for choosing certain content and for choosing appropriate methods to teach that content with specific groups of students. We give a methodological account of a central field in didactics, namely didactic modelling, analysis and design. We review what didactic models are and how they can be produced. We describe the methodologies of modelling, namely (1) how models can be extracted from classroom data in conjunction with theory, (2) how extracted models need to be mangled with teachers, that is adapting models to make them more useful practically, and (3) procedures of collecting exemplars to illustrate how models can be used with various content and students. We also explain how extracted and mangled didactic models can be used for analysing teaching and learning, and for educational designs.

This chapter highlights how ethical norms concerning human sexuality manifest when we explore teaching through different lenses. We present a study which emanates from a conversation in an upper secondary school biology classroom in which students were assigned the task of identifying and discussing taken-for-granted societal norms concerning different aspects of human sexuality. In order to highlight norms present in teaching we use the metaphor of the lens. Thus, by highlighting three depths of fields (DOF) we can zoom in and out on what takes place in different classroom encounters and facilitate a discussion on the ethical implications for research. The first lens focuses on the transactions taking place when each student is given the opportunity to challenge common contemporary assumptions about specific content relating to sexuality and relationships. With the second lens we focus on what happens in the immediate exchanges between the classmates. Finally, the third lens focuses on what becomes visible when highlighting the transactions and exchanges in relation to the historical and societal context within which these take place and what, from a research ethics perspective, becomes important to take into consideration.

Den här delen avslutar modulen samtidigt som den blickar framåt mot arbetslagets och skolans utveckling. Syftet med delen är att bidra till hur skolans personal kan arbeta med att utveckla en skola som har som mål att i verksamheten som helhet arbeta med hållbarhet. I delen presenteras en modell för hur en skola kan arbeta med skolutveckling som en demokratisk process. Delen diskuterar Framtidsverkstad, som är en metod för att starta en förändringsprocess. Den visar ett exempel från en skola och hur ett arbetslag genomför en framtidsverkstad. Ni får även möjlighet att pröva att genomföra en framtidsverkstad på den egna skolan. Delen tar också upp idéer om organisationsförändring., Redaktör: Claes MalmbergÄmnesövergripande – Grundskola åk 7-9 Modul: Hållbar utveckling Del 8: Hela skolan för hållbar utveckling

Kapitlet ger en introduktion till lärande i hållbar utveckling. Det görs genom att ge en bild av hur de komplexa och ämnesövergripande hållbarhetsfrågorna kan karaktäriseras. Kapitlet lägger vikt vid att diskutera och problematisera de viktiga frågorna, varför behövs en undervisning i hållbar utveckling, vad ska undervisningen innehålla samt hur ska den organiseras., Redaktör: Claes MalmbergÄmnesövergripande – Grundskola åk 7-9 Modul: Hållbar utveckling Del 1: Didaktiska perspektiv på hållbar utveckling

To meet future challenges regarding sustainability issues, science education needs to address how to educate scientifically literate and responsible citizens. One aspect of this is how to draw students’ attention to the complexity in sustainability issues. Therefore, this study analyses how complexity can become visible in students’ deliberations. The study has been conducted as an in-situ study at two upper secondary schools. The data was analysed using Practical Epistemological Analysis (PEA) and Deliberative Educational Questions (DEQ). The results show that four different kinds of considerations were used to visualise complexity. Those considerations regarded facts and values in relation to known and unknown facts. The considerations were used to develop a didactic model. Design principles were also developed, which together with the model can support teachers in didactic analyses regarding complex sustainability issues in chemistry education. Furthermore, the study shows that chemistry education can contribute to development of Bildung and democratic citizenship.

Today teachers face an increased challenge in listening to classroom discourses and students’ areas ofinterest to let these coincides with the overall teaching purpose by feedback. Present study explorehow classroom communication can be modeled to allow this. The socio-scientific-issues raised wereat the same time aimed at creating relevance in the students’ social life as giving a respond to thecurriculum. The data consisted of recordings from science lessons in grade 7 and 8 in Sweden. To makevisible the tension that occurred between different discourses and displacement of power in theconversations, practical epistemological analysis has been made. This resulted in a categorization offive different ways the teacher is taking care of and reconnects the students’ impulses in relation tothe overall purpose. Consequently, this study is offering opportunities for teachers to, in a consciouslymanner, reflect on different strategies for discourse feedback in teaching., Engelsk titel: Student impulses and teacher feedback. The relevance of teacher feedback for the classroom discourse and students’ meaning making in teaching on socio-scientific issues

This study explores how students in year nine make their way through an open inquiry project on sound and light extending over eight weeks. The research question concerns the role that understanding the nature of scientific inquiry may have for students’ experiences of inquiry and meaningful learning within these. The work of five student groups were followed and documented with observations, sound recordings, group interviews and students´ written reports. The students’ sense of ownership of their unique projects encouraged them to spontaneously share their different investigations with each other, even outside of class and in some cases stimulated a desire to broaden investigations beyond their original frames. Students’ interest in their work was observed to move through peaks and valleys following the idiosyncratic development of each project. The resistance that scientific inquiry with a higher degree of freedom naturally tends to lead to played an important role both to stimulate interest, and in some cases bring it to a halt. It is suggested that meaningful learning in science can be developed through meeting and overcoming the resistance and problematic nature of open inquiry. Understanding the iterative and nonlinear nature of scientific inquiry may therefore help students and teachers to orient themselves in the processes of inquiry, overcome resistance and develop more flexible and deeper learning strategies. The results also emphasise the situational and dynamic nature of interest and meaningfulness and to question more static methods to study these constructs.

In educational practice there is an ongoing discussion, about social change in relation to sustainability (Ferreira 2013; Jickling & Wals 2008, 2013; Laessö 2010). When our contemporary way of living is declared as unsustainable, and education is put to make a ‘social change’ towards a more ‘sustainable living’, we interpret this from a discourse theoretical view as the educational system becomes dislocated in the attempts of interpret this new order to strive for (Laclau & Mouffe 2001; Laclau 1990). In this state, new articulations develops to interpret how to make a new structure to stabilise the new order. Social change does not have any inherent meaning per se, it becomes formulated through its contextual use in practice. Therefore we find it fruitful to gain empirical knowledge of how teaching for ‘social change’ can be articulated in relation to sustainability. More specifically, we have formulated the following research questions as: - Which subjects positions among teachers can be identified in ESD discourses of social change? - Which 'myths' of social change can be identified in ESD discourses? By using theoretical frameworks of Laclau and Mouffe and Biesta, we identifies teachers’ subject positions and emerging ‘myths’ through analyses of articulations in teacher colleagues discussions of important aims of sustainability in relation to ESD. Discourse theory, analysing teachers discussions To analyse how 'social change' (re)articulate desirable aims in educational practice, we start from teacher discussions. The analyses focus articulations where students are supposed to act in relation to sustainability. Through the central meaning of those articulations, new spaces of representations are opened where it becomes possible to legitimate actions as natural, in the light of this new order (myth). In this study we have been able to identify three struggling ESD-discourses of ‘social change’, comprising desirable teacher-specific-positions and emerging m

In this study, we are interested in how the aims and purpose of education are formulated in relation to ‘social change’ towards sustainability. Many voices are being heard in the global agenda of sustainability. In November 2014, a new international policy declaration was formulated in Nagoya to pick up where the decade (2005-2014) of ESD (Unesco 2005) left off. The new agenda is set to intensify and strengthen the work on sustainability issues in education, based on the given experiences from the past decade. The following sentences open the first paragraph in the annex of the proposal for this Global Action Plan.