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TITLE
Sustainability in STEM Education
WEBSITE OF THE PRODUCT
NAME OF AUTHOR(S)
Science on Stage
TYPE OF PRODUCT
Downloadable material
SUBJECT TAUGHT
Math, Chemistry, Natural Science, Biology, Physics, Technology
LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE
Medium
TARGET GROUP AGE
10 – 13 years old
TUTORIAL SUPPORT
Yes
DESCRIPTION
Sustainability and environmental protection are important topics for students throughout Europe. How we deal with these issues will shape our future. Motivated and skilled teachers are the key to enable students to meet the challenges of tomorrow. This is especially true for STEM teachers. They communicate important knowledge to students in order for them to not only understand the problems but also think about possible solutions.
„Sustainable Development” has been a guiding theme at the Science on Stage festivals for many years. Hundreds of teachers have submitted their innovative teaching projects, where students can explore environmental and sustainability issues. All these projects represent inquiry-based learning approaches. The aim is to support teachers throughout Europe in their continuous professional development and to disseminate high-quality teaching ideas with our teaching materials.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all UN member states in 2015. They are an urgent call to action to improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our forests and oceans.
Education for Sustainable Development (EDS)
Teachers play a deciding role in sensitising young people to the challenges of reaching the 17 SDGs. At the same time, it is important that students are not discouraged by the scope of the problems but are encouraged to think about and design possible solutions. STEM is very important to address these problems and solve them.
„Sustainable Development” has been a guiding theme at the Science on Stage festivals for many years. Hundreds of teachers have submitted their innovative teaching projects, where students can explore environmental and sustainability issues. All these projects represent inquiry-based learning approaches. The aim is to support teachers throughout Europe in their continuous professional development and to disseminate high-quality teaching ideas with our teaching materials.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all UN member states in 2015. They are an urgent call to action to improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our forests and oceans.
Education for Sustainable Development (EDS)
Teachers play a deciding role in sensitising young people to the challenges of reaching the 17 SDGs. At the same time, it is important that students are not discouraged by the scope of the problems but are encouraged to think about and design possible solutions. STEM is very important to address these problems and solve them.
COMMENTS
Sustainability is not only an important topic in our projects but also in our everyday work life.
Points of strength
- Concrete and hands-on teaching concepts that encourage students to become active and responsible citizens while promoting their interest in STEM subjects.
- Inquiry-based learning approaches used
Points of strength
- Concrete and hands-on teaching concepts that encourage students to become active and responsible citizens while promoting their interest in STEM subjects.
- Inquiry-based learning approaches used
TEACHERS’ COMMENT
Sustainability is an important subject that needs to be taught in STEM classes. Science on Stage has developed several lessons relevant to sustainability of which the SH researchers suggested “Coding H2O” as a suitable exercise (https://www.science-on-stage.eu/page/display/3/104/14099/sustainability-in-stem-education). This exercise entailed constructing a solar still and then programming an Arduino, or similar CPU-on-a-board unit, with sensors to measure the performance of the still and improve it as needed. This was felt to be suitable for technology lessons, as the pupils had already used Arduino for programming.
This exercise was not considered suitable by the RS teachers.
This exercise was not considered suitable by the RS teachers.