In the Anthropocene, there is a significant need for new ways to educate about science and environmental problems, including climate issues. This article explores Swedish teacher students' discussions as they envision their future roles as science teachers in the light of the Anthropocene. At the beginning of their science teacher education, the teacher students are not fully immersed in the established discourses of the educational system as in-service teachers. In this study, we consider how these teacher students' 'fresh eyes' bring views of how knowledge (especially chemistry-related knowledge) matters in education and teaching. Through a lecture that centred planetary boundaries and the Great Acceleration as representations of some main scientific models in the field, the teacher students were introduced to the concept of Anthropocene. Five focus group discussions followed this introduction. Thematic analysis reveals how the acquired knowledge of the introductory lesson challenges the students to express 'matters of concern' differently: partly considering a personal, everyday level and partly reformulating their role as future science teachers. The interrelation of these positions is also a concern for the concluding discussion. Furthermore, the article discusses these results as both concerns and possibilities for science education, including science teacher education.

This paper reviews and discusses “didaktik models” and “wisdom pedagogies” for socio-ecojustice-oriented science education. The discussed models and pedagogies are driven by environmental citizenship and Vision III of scientific literacy and science education. Vision III emphasizes transdisciplinarity, relationality and responsibility as well as moral-philosophical-existential-political alternatives and sociopolitical actions. A point of departure is an awareness that we are living in a post-pandemic world in the Anthropocene era. A main idea of didaktik is that teachers have the agency to make autonomous and responsible choices in relation to curricula interpretations, pedagogies and the development of their students’ Bildung. Important in didaktik research is to develop different types of arrangements, frameworks and tools for teachers, which can be supportive of their didaktik choices. With one word it is called didaktik models. Their role is to bridge theory and practice. From the perspective of eco-reflexive Bildung, the main interest in this paper is didaktik models enhancing eco-reflexivity among students. The paper suggests an integrative didaktik model for complex and sociopolitical socioscientific issues education. Typically in “science-in-context”-education models, teaching is made in the following sequence: (1) engage, (2) explain as a result of teaching, (3) elaborate, (4) explore, (5) take action, and (6) evaluate. Such a sequence is in the new integrative didaktik model placed in a “Vision III-atmosphere”.

The urgent and contemporary challenges of the Anthropocene confront science education and the historical period in which science education has developed. Engaging with this confrontation, the article turned to experienced chemistry teachers in a case study by exploring how they approach school chemistry knowledge in the Anthropocene. Focus group discussions among experienced upper secondary chemistry teachers were analysed to address this aim. Five chemistry teachers deeply immersed in the chemistry discipline discussed chemistry education in the context of the Anthropocene. The participating teachers are experienced with international (Diploma Programme of International Baccalaureate) and national (Swedish) chemistry curricula. The analyses showed that through chemistry knowledge, the teachers mediate conflicting emotions for their students to engage with the challenges of the Anthropocene. Furthermore, realising the entanglements of chemistry with other systems, school chemistry knowledge is viewed as a prerequisite and a central tool for engaging with the ethico-socio-political challenges of the Anthropocene. The article discusses the findings as perspective-generating results, regarding taken-for-granted assumptions on chemistry education and selective traditions.

In a global context of climate crisis and extension of other planetary boundaries, science education and particularly scientific and environmental literacies have a key role towards a sustainable transformation and climate and environmental action. However, scientific, or ecological literacies are highly complex, defined and interpreted in different ways, and depend upon its social, cultural, and political contexts. Previous research has reported that some definitions or conventional visions of scientific literacies are typically disconnected from this global catastrophe and controversially have been supported by neoliberal capitalism agendas that underpin 21st-century global economies. To tackle this scenario, new and critical approaches in science education articulated with environmental literacies are imperative. This paper provides a systematic review of critical scientific and environmental literacies, seeking opportunities to materialise and promote awareness towards a process of ‘conscientisation’ in science education. Findings report and examine the range and spectrum of definitions about how critical scientific literacies have been defined, conceptualised and studied from the 1990s.

Challenges in global water use draw attention to narratives that raise awareness and influence policy but often fail to address specific local issues effectively. The idea of glocalization integrates global and local perspectives and recognizes the unique ecological knowledge of local and indigenous communities, which may differ from Western modern scientific views. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the literature in education, specifically focusing on science education and its relationship to glocalization in the context of water education. It explores the relevance of glocalization in advancing education for sustainability in the case of teaching and learning about water use. It proposes a framework to operationalize education for sustainability by incorporating local water issues and their connection to global challenges. By repositioning the boundaries of global and local in the context of water education, the study aims to present a glocal perspective. The paper suggests a glocalization framework related to strategies for science education to promote a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between global and local issues, as well as a Social-Ecological Systems (SES) conceptual framework that leads to water education for sustainability. Additionally, the study presents a framework for developing water educators through glocalization and sustainable professional development, incorporating components such as communities of practice, professional learning communities, action research, and external experts.

I artikeln argumenteras för att scenariedidaktik kan ses som en övergripande ämnesdidaktisk modell. Didaktiska modeller i allmänhet knyter samman teori och praktik. I artikeln lyfts fram såväl teoribasen för scenariedidaktik som ett flertal exempel på olika scenariedidaktiska arbetsformer. En koppling görs till Nielsens fyra ämnesdidaktiska paradigm (orienterade mot basämnet, vardag/individ, samhälle/utmaningar respektive världen/existens). Artikeln lyfter fram att scenariedidaktik främst kan kopplas till utmaningsdidaktik/samhällsparadigmet. Samtidigt finns det spår av såväl det individcentrerade paradigmet som av det fjärde reflekterande och världscentrerade paradigmet. Dessutom finns en tydlig bas i relevant ämnesinnehåll. På flera ställen i artikeln betonas den stora potential för kritisk-eko-reflexiv bildning som finns med scenariedidaktik. Som inramning inleds artikeln med en kort beskrivning av ämnesdidaktik som fält och en historisk jämförelse mellan didaktiken i Danmark och Sverige. Artikeln avslutas med ett förslag till fyra reflektionsfrågor som komplement till Klafkis klassiska didaktiska analys.

The article argues that scenario didactics can be seen as an overall didactic model. Didactic models in general link theory and practice. The article highlights both the theoretical base for scenario didactics and several examples of different scenario didactic methods. A connection is made to Nielsen's four subject didactic paradigms (oriented towards the basic subject, everyday life/individual, society/challenges and the world/existence, respectively). The article highlights that scenario didactics can primarily be linked to challenge didactics/the society paradigm. At the same time, there are also traces of both the individual-centered paradigm and the fourth reflective and world-centered paradigm. In addition, there is a clear basis in relevant subject content.At several places in the article, the great potential of scenario didactics for critical-eco-reflexive Bildung is emphasized. As a framework, the article begins with a brief description of subject didactics as a field and a historical comparison between didactics in Denmark and Sweden. The article concludes with a proposal for four questions as a complement to Klafki's classical didactic analysis.

This chapter emphasizes the role of critical and engaged inclusive science education in inclusive citizenship. It has the potential of empowering individuals to actively participate in social discourses and decision making. We explain the Vision III perspective of scientific literacy, which extends beyond acquiring knowledge to think critically and reflectively about science and its role in society. Based on this perspective we discuss consequences for inclusive education in the science subjects. The NinU-framework is a didaktik model for inclusive science education, stressing the recognizing diversity, minimizing barriers, and enabling participation. Based on these perspectives, we advocate for an inclusive Vision III approach in science education. We derive impulses for educators as part of a new didaktik model oriented towards an inclusive Vision III approach in science education.

This chapter theorizes Visions I, II and III of science education and scientific literacy based on different ontological/epistemological/axiological positions, worldview perspectives, educational philosophies, selective teaching traditions, and some other educational-philosophical frameworks. Vision III can be connected to an integrative worldview, responsibility, moral-philosophical-existential-political alternatives, and socio-political actions. A point of departure is awareness that we are living in the Anthropocene era. The theorization is mainly based on posthuman and critical-eco-reflexive Bildung perspectives. Bildung has a long and multifaceted history of ideas including, for instance, humanistic values, transparency for spirituality, and critical-democratic citizenship. An integrative worldview can be described with terms like: systems thinking, relationality thinking, spiritual knowledge, place-based knowledge, holism, complexity, plurality, reflective mindsets, and transformation. Didaktik can be seen as the ‘profession discipline’ for teachers. Regarding education, didaktik and Bildung have a common history of ideas. A main idea of didaktik is that teachers have agency to make responsible choices in relation to development of their students’ Bildung. Important in didaktik research is to develop different types of arrangements, frameworks and tools for teachers that can be of help in their didaktik choices. With one word, it can be called didaktik models. In this chapter, focus is on didaktik models supporting socio-political transformation of science and technology in school and society. In the end of the chapter, two new didaktik models are presented, one about connections between different worldviews and educational views, and one with important keywords for Vision III-oriented didaktik that may support teaching for socio-political transformation.

Bildung is a complex educational concept that has connections to both the Enlightenment and Romanticism. It has its roots in the late eighteenth century in Germany and has had a central place in educational philosophy and policy in central and northern Europe since then. In the history of education, one can identify at least five educational theories with reference to the basic ideas of Bildung: (a) Wilhelm von Humboldt’s classical Bildung, (b) liberal education, (c) Scandinavian folk-Bildung, (d) democratic education, and (e) critical-hermeneutic Bildung. In this chapter, we discuss the development of the concept of Bildung as a humanistic theory and its relevance for science education. We show how Bildung emphasizes both personal subjectification and skills for socio-political action. In doing so, we relate contemporary interpretations of Bildung to issues of scientific literacy, education for sustainability and transformative learning.

Amid intensifying global crises—including environmental degradation, socio-ecological injustices, and widespread public mistrust in science—science education must be re-envisioned through more critical and global but also local inclusive lenses. This response article critically engages with the recent contribution by Lederman et al. (2025), who introduce the concept of global functional scientific literacy. While their intervention is timely, we argue that their framing is limited, decontextualised, and insufficiently attentive to broader socio-political and epistemic concerns. Building on Vision III and recent scholarship in critical scientific literacies, we propose the notion of critical global functional scientific literacies as a more expansive and transformative framework. These literacies encompass not only scientific understanding and real-world application, but also socio-cultural, ethical, glocal and political dimensions that foster agency and collective action. Through this critique, we advocate for a form of science education that is justiceoriented, pluralistic, and reflexive—one capable of meaningfully engaging with the complexities and urgencies of the contemporary world. Our response builds on and extends previous critiques, emphasising that science education should function as a site of collective empowerment, rather than mere knowledge transmission.