Abstract
In this paper I discuss three issues relevant to the ideas introduced by Colucci-Gray, Perazzone, Dodman and Camino (2012) in their three-part paper on epistemological reflections and educational practice for science education for sustainability: (1) social studies of science for science education, (2) education for sustainability or sustainable development, and (3) curriculum studies and action-research. For the first issue, I address the need for science education efforts dedicated to an epistemological renewal to take seriously into consideration the contributions of the social studies of science. This perspective may be fruitful for an education for sustainability that also requires one to consider the political dimension of environmental issues and their intrinsic power relationships. It also encourages the abandonment of dichotomies that hamper democratic participation: experts/lay people, science/society, scientific knowledge/values, etc. For the second issue, my commentary focuses on the challenges that education for sustainability or sustainable development pose to science education with a shift from subject matter contents to socio-educative aims and socio-political actions. These challenges lead to the third issue with an invitation to apprehend science education for sustainability within the frameworks of curriculum theory and design-based research.
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Lead Editor: Giuliano Reis.
This review essay addresses issues raised in Laura Colucci-Gray, Anna Perazzone, Martin Dodman and Elena Camino’s paper entitled: Science Education for sustainability: Epistemological reflections and educational practices: From Natural Science to trans-disciplinarity: Cultural Studies of Science Education. doi:10.1007/s11422-012-9405-3.
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Albe, V. On the road to science education for sustainability?. Cult Stud of Sci Educ 8, 185–192 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-012-9449-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-012-9449-4