Biology Education For Social And Sustainable Development

In an era of globalization and urbanization, various social, economic, and environmental challenges surround advances in modern biological sciences. Considering how biological knowledge and practice are intrinsically related to building a sustainable relationship between nature and human society, the roles of biology education need to be rethought to respond to issues and changes to life in this biocentury. This book is a compilation of selected papers from the Twenty Third Biennial Conference of the Asian Association for Biology Education 2010. The title, Biology Education for Social and Sustainable Development, demonstrates how rethinking and reconstruction of biology education in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly grounded in deep understandings of what counts as valuable local knowledge, practices, culture, and ideologies for national and global issues, and education for sustainable development. The 42 papers by eminent science educators from Australia, China, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and the U.S., represent a diversity of views, understandings, and practices in biology education for sustainable development from school to university in diverse education systems and social-cultural settings in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The book is an invaluable resource and essential reference for researchers and educators on Asian perspectives and practices on biology education for social and sustainable development.

At the core of the Agenda 2030 are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of the SDGs is to secure a sustainable, peaceful, prosperous and equitable life on Earth for everyone now and in the future. To achieve the SDGs, education for sustainable development (ESD) aims to develop competencies that empower individuals to reflect on their own actions, taking into account their current and future social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts, from a local and a global perspective. Therefore, ESD must define new knowledge, skills, values and attitudes and evaluate effective ways towards a new pedagogy. This Special Issue focuses on empirical educational research and theoretical considerations that address transformational competences in science education in the context of the SDGs. It presents new pedagogical approaches that aim to empower learners and teachers to contribute to a sustainable future and to evaluate their effectiveness in science education. Papers can focus on, e.g., new curricula or textbooks, teacher education, classroom and informal learning, whole-institution approaches, action-oriented and transformative learning approaches in science education.

This book gathers interdisciplinary reflections from researchers, educators, and other experts on the subject of biodiversity closer to education and learning. The book also highlights its role as an added value to strategic principles for healthy ecosystems and sustainable human development. It promotes critical thinking and foster practices and attitudes for Education for Sustainable Development reconciling education with principles of human behaviour and nature. Readers especially find this book a timely resource in light of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, the Aichi Targets, and the new EU biodiversity strategy “Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020”. Along with the challenge of ecosystems and public health, biodiversity conservation is essential for humanity’s continued security and sustainability, as it touches on all aspects of people’s lives.

This book addresses the changes in education practices, especially basic education, necessitated by the global challenges of climate change and sustainable development and in a context characterized by increasing poverty and inequality, migration and refugees. Written by a range of international scholars, scientists and grassroots practitioners from Africa, Latin America, Asia (India, China, Malaysia) and Europe, the individual contributions focus on education policies and child development in various social contexts. Case-based experiences from both developed and developing countries provide inspiration and shed new light on the fundamental changes needed to adapt existing school systems and teacher training to face the challenges of the future. In this regard, the need to empower children themselves is emphasized. All contributions are based on a Workshop hosted in November 2015 by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican entitled “Children and Sustainable Development: A Challenge for Education” and follow three other significant events on sustainable development in 2015, namely the publication of Laudato Si’, the Encyclical Letter from Pope Francis, the release of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the COP21 Conference in Paris.

This Book presents innovative and state of the art studies developed in Environmental Education in different countries to highlight this theme and promote its implementation all over the world. It will give a scientific perspective of Nature-based solutions to promote environmental education in all citizens and a more educational perspective as to how this approach can be implemented at schools and universities. Not less important is that includes science communication as a key factor for training and disseminating about the environment. The invited authors are recognized experts with excellent work developed in Environmental Education. This contributed volume presents innovative and creative work in the area giving a step forward in the implementation of Environmental Education, namely as a target of 2020 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development. The invitation of authors from many different countries allows the creation of a network and subsequently the book will bring concrete ideas as to how to develop operational capacities to bring added values to Environmental Education at an international level.

This book presents selected conference proceedings from the 25th Biennial Asian Association for Biology Education Conference. It clarifies the differences between the structure of biology education for educators and researchers. It solves open problems by creating a bridge between biological research and its application in education and the sustainable development of communities. The book’s first topic is Biology Education in an X, Y, Z World, which provides ideas for how biology can be taught in innovative ways. The second topic, The Endangered Planet – How can Biology Education Help? discusses how humans depend on other species for survival and how they have the power to cause or to prevent extinctions. The third and final topic, Research in Biology, encompasses the growing wealth of biological information resulting from scientific research, especially in universities. Educators can use these findings to enhance their teaching.

Recent work in science and technological studies has provided a clearer understanding of the way in which science functions in society and the interconnectedness among different strands of science, policy, economy and environment. It is well acknowledged that a different way of thinking is required in order to address problems facing the global community, particularly in relation to issues of risk and uncertainty, which affect humanity as a whole. However, approaches to education in science tend to perpetuate an outmoded way of thinking that is incommensurable with preparing individuals for participation and decision-making in an uncertain, complex world. Drawing on experiences of interdisciplinary dialogue and practice in a higher education context, this book illustrates how reformulating the agenda in science and technology can have a revolutionary impact on learning and teaching in the classroom at all levels. This exceptional study will interest scholars in Education, Science, Technology, and Society, and those looking to further deliberative democracy and civic participation in their students.