The planet Earth has become increasingly susceptible to human-induced (anthropogenic) ecological disasters. The currently raging COVID-19 pandemic adds to the vast scale of destruction and suffering that humanity and the planet are experiencing. In this paper we explicate the meaning of 'human-induced' destruction in the terms of the damaging and…

The myth of Psyche and Eros is startling in its relevance for the existential and ecological crises facing humanity today. Taking up the images therein, this article explores possible ways that science education can address the epistemological roots of environmental destruction, especially through the practice of Goethean observation. Calling on…

Learners are more disconnected from the natural environment than ever before. Science education occurs predominantly in classrooms and laboratories, settings that rationalize and deconstruct the natural world in a Cartesian-Newtonian paradigm. This often negates humans' relationality and interdependence with other life phenomena and furthermore…

This paper curates four experiential narratives and poetry by the five co-authors that illustrate epistemic and ontic shift from the Modern Western (ModWest) mindset to a holistic, embodied and animistic mindset. Coming from different cultural backgrounds, yet having been systemically influenced by the dominant ModWest views and values, each…

In the context of the science versus creationism debate, Elizabeth Watts thoughtfully explores Buddhism as a model of compatibility between science and religion, and as inspiration for the pedagogical potential of mindfulness practices to promote student receptivity to scientific views of evolution. However, Watts focuses on modern Buddhist…

This paper traces Heesoon Bai's contributions to science education. Over the course of her career, Heesoon has written many scholarly articles that explore the foundational theories relevant to the culture of science education. Drawing from Eastern contemplative traditions, Heesoon aims to repair the separation between subject and object, a…

In their paper Ramos de Robles, Gariby-Chávez and Curiel-Ballesteros offer that indigenous traditional knowledge (IK) concerning edible wild plants in Mexico, part of the historic culture, is fading through successive generations. Furthermore, they argue that a return to this knowledge which proved valuable for many ancestors is desperately needed…

This paper examines how Buddhists in America have been able to integrate evolution into their worldview to a much greater extent than other religious groups in the United States. Not only is evolution and science in general in line with the main teachings of Buddhism, but Buddhist teachers in the US have consistently encouraged Buddhists to…

Student engagement in science, as defined by Iva Gurgel, Mauricio Pietrocola, and Graciella Watanabe, is of great importance because a student's perceived compatibility with science learning is highly influenced by personal identities, or how students see themselves in relations to the world. This can greatly impact their learning experiences. In…

This forum article contributes to the understanding of how science teachers' identity is related to their worldviews, cultural values and educational philosophies, and to eco-transformation of science education. Special focus is put on "reform-minded" science teachers. The starting point is the paper "Science education reform in…

This paper extends the conversation started by Mariona Espinet, Mercè Izquierdo, Clara Garcia-Pujol; Ludovic Morge and Isabel Martins and Susana de Souza regarding the diverse issues faced by the internationalisation of science education journals. I use my own experience as an early career researcher coming from an underrepresented culture and…

Roussel De Carvalho uses the notion of superdiversity to draw attention to some of the pedagogical implications of teaching science in multicultural schools in cosmopolitan cities such as London. De Carvalho makes the case that if superdiverse classrooms exist then Science Initial Teacher Education has a role to play in helping future science…

Epistemological constructions are central considerations in vivisecting an expressed conflict between science and religion. It is argued that the conflict thesis is only meaningful when examined from a specific socio-historical perspective. The dialectical relation between science and religion should therefore be considered at both a macro and…

While Ester Aflalo's conclusions for teaching the nature of science seem uncontentious her analysis of degree of religiosity and its relationship to perceptions of the nature of science among Palestinian Muslim and Jewish Israelis fails to take into account complex affiliations to religion such as history, the nature of identity and…

This paper presents a review of Jane McGonigal's book, "Reality is broken" (Reality is broken: why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin Press, New York, 2011). As the book subtitle suggests it is a book about "why games make us better and how they can change the world", written by a specialist in computer game design. I…