Purpose

The aims and pedagogies in the field of science education are evolving because of global sustainability crises. School science is increasingly concerned with responsible agency and value-based transformation. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to argue that perspectives and methods from the field of futures studies are needed to meet the new transformative aims of science education for sustainable development.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyses some contemporary challenges in science education and gives reasons for introducing a futures perspective into science classrooms. The suggestion is illustrated by reviewing some results, published elsewhere, on future-oriented activities trialled within the European Union project “I SEE” and students’ experiences on them.

Findings

Recent research has shown that future-oriented science learning activities, involving systems thinking, scenario development and backcasting, can let students broaden their futures perceptions, imagine alternatives and navigate uncertainty. Practising futures thinking in the context of contemporary science offers synergies through shared perspectives on uncertainty, probabilities and creative thinking.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the relevance of the futures field for science education. Future-oriented activities appear as promising tools in science education for fostering sustainability, agency and change. Yet, further work is needed to integrate futures aspects into science curricula. To that end, the paper calls for collaboration between the fields of futures studies and science education.

中文翻译：

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通过未来思维促进变革性科学教育

目的

由于全球可持续性危机，科学教育领域的目标和教学法正在不断发展。学校科学越来越关注负责任的代理和基于价值的转变。这篇概念性论文的目的是论证需要来自未来研究领域的观点和方法来满足可持续发展的科学教育的新变革目标。

设计/方法/方法

本文分析了科学教育中的一些当代挑战，并给出了将未来视角引入科学课堂的原因。通过回顾在其他地方发表的关于在欧盟项目“I SEE”中试验的面向未来的活动以及学生在这些活动中的体验的一些结果来说明该建议。

发现

最近的研究表明，面向未来的科学学习活动，包括系统思考、情景开发和回溯，可以让学生拓宽对未来的认识，想象替代方案并驾驭不确定性。在当代科学背景下实践未来思维，通过对不确定性、概率和创造性思维的共同观点提供协同效应。

原创性/价值

本文强调了未来领域与科学教育的相关性。面向未来的活动似乎是科学教育中促进可持续性、能动性和变革的有希望的工具。然而，还需要进一步的工作将未来方面纳入科学课程。为此，该论文呼吁未来研究和科学教育领域之间进行合作。