Abstract
Developing skills and attitudes among students in the sense of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) requires that educators address issues of sustainability in formal education (de Haan, 2006). However, up to now ESD seems to have been insufficiently implemented in secondary science education in many countries in general, and in high school chemistry learning in particular. A lack of suitable experiments, coupled with missing teaching and learning materials and insufficient teacher professional development have been identified as the reasons for this gap (Burmeister, Rauch & Eilks, 2012). Out-of-school learning may take a special role in developing and implementing contemporary, ESD-driven chemistry education.
Within this PhD project new teaching and learning materials and experiments on sustainability in chemistry-related contexts have been developed and integrated into chemistry learning via a non-formal learning environment for high school students. An emphasis was placed on learner-centred and inquiry-based learning. The non-formal learning environments are used to introduce modern topics from the sustainability debate to secondary school teachers. They also bring them into contact with corresponding curriculum materials and pedagogies. During visits to the non-formal learning environment, both the students and their teachers experience new content, experiments, materials and pedagogies.
Linking out-of-school and in-school learning is suggested to be the main challenge to benefiting from non-formal educational learning settings (Bybee, 2001). Out-of-school learning environments should also focus on the needs of the participants if they are expected to be successful (Anderson, Kisiel, & Storksdieck, 2006). Therefore the learning environments developed in this project are characterized by the strong linkage of in-school and out-of-school learning. The contents of all the project’s learning environments are directly related to the National Science Education Standards and the corresponding regional syllabi. The learning environments are modular in structure to ensure flexible use and individual adaptability to different learning groups and their corresponding achievement level and prior knowledge. All the modules consist of a set of teaching and learning materials for a preparatory phase in school prior to the visit, as well as suggestions and materials for reflection and assessment. The learning environments are based on a pool of experiments from which teachers can select according to the learning group and teaching/learning objectives.
Accompanying research an evaluation has shown that teachers expressed hope that the non-formal learning environment would complement their own teaching in a reasonable fashion. The teachers acknowledged that the modules offer specific opportunities which are impossible to implement in formal education. Some teachers also expected benefits for their own teaching, with hoping to gain new materials and experiments to be used in their own teaching. Overall, non-formal learning environments represent a great opportunity to come into contact with new content and curriculum materials, e.g. ESD driven science education approaches. These findings allow a careful suggestion to make more thorough use of SLs for teacher in-service professional development, but also to incorporate SLs in pre-service teacher preparation.
_____________
Anderson, D.; Kisiel, J.; Storksdieck, M. (2006). Understanding teachers’ perspectives on field trips: discovering common ground in three countries. Curator, 49(3), 365-386.
Burmeister, M.; Rauch, F.; Eilks, I. (2012). Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and chemistry education. Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 13, 59–68
Bybee, R.W. (2001) Achieving scientific literacy: Strategies for insuring that free-choice science education complements national formal science education efforts. In Falk, H.J. Free-choice science education: How we learn science outside of school (pp. 44–63). Teachers College Press: New York, NY.
de Haan G. (2006) The BLK ‘21’ programme in Germany: a ‘Gestaltungskompetenz’-based model for education for sustainable development. Environ. Educ. Res., 12, 19–32.
The major concepts and findings from the thesis are published – among others – in the following journal articles and chapters
English
Garner, N., Hayes, S. M., & Eilks, I. (2014). Linking formal and non-formal science education – A reflection from two cases in Ireland and Germany. Sisyphos Journal of Education, 2(2), 10-31.
Garner, N., Lischke, M. L., Siol, A., & Eilks, I. (2014). Learning about chemistry’s contributions to sustainable development in a non-formal laboratory context for secondary level students. In K. D. Thomas & H. E. Muga (Eds.), Handbook of research on pedagogical innovations for sustainable development (pp. 229-244). Hershey: IGI Global.
Garner, N., Siol, A., & Eilks, I. (2014). Parabens as preservatives in personal care products. Chemistry in Action, 103, 38-43.
Garner, N., Huwer, J., Siol, A., Hempelmann, R., & Eilks, I. (2015). On the development of non-formal learning environments for secondary school students focusing sustainability and green chemistry. In V. G. Zuin & L. Mammino (Eds.), Worldwide trends in green chemistry education (pp. 76-92), Cambridge: RSC.
Garner, N., & Eilks, I. (2015). The Expectations of teachers and students who visit a non-formal student chemistry laboratory. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 11(5), 1197-1210.
Garner, N., Siol, A., & Eilks, I. (2015). The potential of non-formal laboratory environments for innovating the chemistry curriculum and promoting secondary school level students education for sustainability. Sustainability, 7(2), 1798-1818.
Garner, N., Huwer, J., Siol, A., Hempelmann, R., & Eilks, I. (2015). Implementing innovations in chemistry learning and sustainability education in a non-formal student laboratory context. LUMAT: Research and Practice in Math, Science and Technology Education, 3(4), 449-461.
Garner, N., Siol, A., & Eilks, I. (2016). Applying selected aspects of green chemistry within an alternative synthesis route for vanillin. Journal of Science Education, 17(1), 25-28.
German
Siol, A., Poppe [Garner], N., Eilks, I., & Jastorff, B. (2013). Struktur-Wirkungs-Denken als moderne Strategie in der Wirkstoffforschung [Structure-properties-thinking as a modern strategy in drug research]. Praxis der Naturwissenschaften Chemie in der Schule, 62 (2), 24-28
Garner, N., Siol, A., & Eilks, I. (2014). Aromen im Chemieunterricht: Die Struktur bestimmt den Geruch [Flavors in chemistry teaching: The structure determines the smell]. Praxis der Naturwissenschaften Chemie in der Schule, 63(2), 26-30.
Garner, N., Siol, A., & Eilks, I. (2014). Die Konservierung von Kosmetika mit Parabenen [The conservation of cosmetics with parabenes]. Praxis der Naturwissenschaften Chemie in der Schule, 63(1), 17-20.
Garner, N., Siol, A., & Eilks, I. (2015). Click Chemie – Ein alternativer Ansatz in der organischen Synthese [Click chemistry – an alternative approach in organic synthesis]. Praxis der Naturwissenschaften Chemie in der Schule, 64(3), 9-13.
Thesis (cumulative thesis based on articles in English and German language)
Garner, N. (2015). Nachhaltigkeit und Chemie – Ein Schülerlabor als Ort der Innovation von Chemieunterricht. Dissertation Universität Bremen.
Correspondence
Dr. Nicole Garner
University of Bremen
Leobener Str. NW2
28334 Bremen, Germany
E-mail: ngarner@uni-bremen.de
