Science Education in the Anthropocene Lab

About the Lab

What we mean when we talk about science in the Anthropocene

What is science?

Simply put, science is a way of understanding the natural world. It encompasses diverse ways of understanding, engaging with, and making knowledge about the world.

In the Australian K–12 curriculum, science is defined as ‘a dynamic, collaborative and creative human endeavour arising from our desire to make sense of our world. ... Science gives us an empirical way of answering curious and important questions about the changing world we live in.’ Scientific practice has been enriched through the exchange of knowledge and ideas around the world, while also being shaped by the exploitation and appropriation of Indigenous knowledge through colonisation. Indigenous and First Nations peoples, however, have maintained their own distinct, systematic, place-based knowledge traditions that have evolved over millennia through rigorous observation and experimentation.

What do we mean by the Anthropocene?

The term Anthropocene was recently coined to describe our current geological era in which human activity has increasingly influenced Earth’s systems that sustain life, resulting in large-scale changes to systems such as the carbon cycle, global climate and sea levels that are long-lasting and potentially irreversible.

Often framed as a scientific designation referring to measurable human impacts on the global environment, it is nevertheless a contested concept, subject to debate about its origins, causes and implications. More than a neutral geological designation, the idea of the Anthropocene raises profound questions about responsibility, justice, and the need to reimagine our relationships with each other and with the natural world.

While recognising the term Anthropocene is not universally recognised and remains contested, we find it useful as a way to orient our discussions around the various interconnected crises we collectively face – the ecological, social and political challenges that science education must address.

Science education in the Anthropocene

Our work embraces a ‘pluriverse’ approach to science education. Science education in the Anthropocene should address not only the formal methods associated with dominant scientific traditions, but also the sophisticated observation, experimentation, and theory building practised in Indigenous sciences. When learning science, students who draw from multiple knowledge traditions, as well as from community-based approaches and other cultural contexts, build their capacity to actively construct, evaluate, and take ownership of knowledge. By broadening our conception of what counts as science education in these times, we create space for productive dialogue across different knowledge traditions – not to collapse the differences but to recognise how multiple approaches can contribute to addressing the challenges of the Anthropocene.

Initial questions

Based on ongoing reimaginings of science education, the following questions illustrate the things we are curious about and will guide the SEA Lab’s program of work.

• What should be the goals and aims of science education in the Anthropocene?
• How will we know such a science education is worthwhile and working?
• What is the role and responsibility of science educators and the science education community in addressing the multiple, intersecting challenges of the Anthropocene?
• How can diverse knowledge systems be integrated into science curricula in meaningful ways that equip citizens of all ages to address the challenges of the Anthropocene?
• How can science education move beyond human exceptionalism towards an understanding of the interdependent systems that sustain all life?
• Given the troubled history between science and colonisation, how can we create ethical spaces of engagement that recognise Indigenous and First Nations’ knowledge systems?
• How do we support students to explore and question the influence of power and politics in science education?

Read more about science education in the Anthropocene in the following open access books.

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