TY - JOUR
T1 - Developing Students' Futures Thinking in Science Education
AU - Jones, Alister
AU - Buntting, Cathy
AU - Hipkins, Rose
AU - McKim, Anne
AU - Conner, Lindsey
AU - Saunders, Kathy
PY - 2012/8
Y1 - 2012/8
N2 - Futures thinking involves a structured exploration into how society and its physical and cultural environment could be shaped in the future. In science education, an exploration of socio-scientific issues offers significant scope for including such futures thinking. Arguments for doing so include increasing student engagement, developing students' values discourse, fostering students' analytical and critical thinking skills, and empowering individuals and communities to envisage, value, and work towards alternative futures. This paper develops a conceptual framework to support teachers' planning and students' futures thinking in the context of socio-scientific issues. The key components of the framework include understanding the current situation, analysing relevant trends, identifying drivers, exploring possible and probable futures, and selecting preferable futures. Each component is explored at a personal, local, national, and global level. The framework was implemented and evaluated in three classrooms across Years 4-12 (8 to 16-year olds) and findings suggest it has the potential to support teachers in designing engaging science programmes in which futures thinking skills can be developed.
AB - Futures thinking involves a structured exploration into how society and its physical and cultural environment could be shaped in the future. In science education, an exploration of socio-scientific issues offers significant scope for including such futures thinking. Arguments for doing so include increasing student engagement, developing students' values discourse, fostering students' analytical and critical thinking skills, and empowering individuals and communities to envisage, value, and work towards alternative futures. This paper develops a conceptual framework to support teachers' planning and students' futures thinking in the context of socio-scientific issues. The key components of the framework include understanding the current situation, analysing relevant trends, identifying drivers, exploring possible and probable futures, and selecting preferable futures. Each component is explored at a personal, local, national, and global level. The framework was implemented and evaluated in three classrooms across Years 4-12 (8 to 16-year olds) and findings suggest it has the potential to support teachers in designing engaging science programmes in which futures thinking skills can be developed.
KW - Classroom research
KW - Futures thinking
KW - Primary
KW - Secondary
KW - Socio-scientific issues
KW - Teacher professional learning
UR - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11165-011-9214-9
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84951001397&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11165-011-9214-9
DO - 10.1007/s11165-011-9214-9
M3 - Article
VL - 42
SP - 687
EP - 708
JO - Research in Science Education
JF - Research in Science Education
SN - 0157-244X
IS - 4
ER -