PreprintArticleVersion 1Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education
Version 1
: Received: 23 May 2024 / Approved: 24 May 2024 / Online: 24 May 2024 (08:38:20 CEST)
How to cite:
Celestino, T.; Gentili, P. L. Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education. Preprints2024, 2024051604. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.1604.v1
Celestino, T.; Gentili, P. L. Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education. Preprints 2024, 2024051604. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.1604.v1
Celestino, T.; Gentili, P. L. Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education. Preprints2024, 2024051604. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.1604.v1
APA Style
Celestino, T., & Gentili, P. L. (2024). Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.1604.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Celestino, T. and Pier Luigi Gentili. 2024 "Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.1604.v1
Abstract
The principal function of science education is to introduce students to core scientific concepts and practices; nevertheless, it is now impossible, in such a complex world, to neglect the ethical issues involved. Placing school science in a broader context motivates students and equips them with valuable critical skills. A meaningful example was from palm oil production and pervasive use worldwide: plantations result in major deforestation occurring in species-rich tropical regions, making the palm oil issue global in scope and highly critical for several aspects related to sustainability. This paper reports a sequence of didactic activities starting from palm oil chemistry, gradually extended initially by a multidisciplinary approach, then by interdisciplinary-systemic maps and, ultimately, through a holistic vision - involving anthropological and cultural considerations about indigenous people of deforested territories. This progressive broadening corresponds to an ever-greater penetration into the personal sphere, a condition for a real ethical consciousness. The increased students’ awareness was tested by qualitative considerations, supporting the teaching dimension more than the learning one. Contrary to disciplinary contents, the emergence of moral feelings cannot be measured but only perceived. Therefore, chemistry provides key concepts essential for global competences development in order to deal with sustainability issues with an increased ethical awareness.
Keywords
ethics in science; palm oil; systems thinking; global citizenship
Subject
Chemistry and Materials Science, Other
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
