Developing skills and attitudes among students in terms of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) requires that educators address issues of sustainability in both formal and non-formal education. However, up to now, ESD seems to have been insufficiently implemented in secondary science education in many countries in general, and in high school chemistry learning in particular. A lack of suitable experiments, coupled with missing teaching and learning materials and insufficient teacher professional development have been identified as the reasons for this gap. This paper describes a project of innovation and research in the field of ESD for secondary school chemistry education. Within the project, both half-and full-day learning environments have been developed for non-formal, laboratory-based learning of secondary level students at the university. The research-based development focuses on teaching-learning modules which link formal and non-formal learning. The pedagogy employed is both learner-centered and inquiry-based. All the modules focus on sustainability issues in chemistry-related contexts. Data was collected by questionnaires from teachers and students both prior to and after the visit of the non-formal learning environment. Likert-items were analyzed statistically and the evaluation of the open-ended questions was done by Qualitative Content Analysis. An overview of the project, OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 1799 a case from the non-formal laboratory setting, and findings from accompanying research and evaluation are discussed in this paper. Potential impacts on teacher professional development and curriculum innovation are also outlined.

In many Western countries, non-formal education has become increasingly recognized as a valuable addition to the traditional educational system. In recent years, a special form of non-formal student laboratories (Schülerlabor) has emerged in Germany to promote primary and secondary practical science learning. This paper describes a developmental project on Schülerlabor learning environments for all students with a particular focus on sustainability education in the context of chemistry-related topics. The goal of reaching all students puts intentional pressure on the development process of learning environments. It forces the Schülerlabors to create a detailed model of differentiation, which can reach all learners of different interests and abilities. This also includes low-achievers and students who have disadvantaged educational biographies. In this sense, the structuring of non-formal learning environments simultaneously becomes a process of innovation with respect to both the curriculum and the teaching methods. In this paper, we present a corresponding model of differentiation and a specific example focusing on the learning about protecting and preserving metal objects in science education. Preliminary results and implications from the accompanying evaluation are also discussed.

This chapter describes a project of innovating chemistry education by the creation of non-formal learning environments in university laboratories open to secondary school science and chemistry classes. Issues of sustainable development and green chemistry were chosen as a driver to create the learning environments. Connecting the learning about sustainable development and green chemistry with innovations in the non-formal educational arena proofed to be a positive enrichment in the teaching and learning of chemistry in the eyes of both the students and the teachers. The project shows the potential of non-formal laboratories in universities, if thoroughly connected to formal learning in schools, for improving the chemistry curriculum and its related pedagogy, as well as for teacher continuous professional development.

The paper describes a curriculum innovation project for integrating the sustainability-oriented socio-scientific issue of phosphate recovery into undergraduate chemistry education. Justification for the topic is derived from the importance of responsible use of phosphates as fertilizers for achieving some of the sustainable development goals issued by the United Nations in 2015, but also by the consideration of the phosphorus biochemical flow into the environment in the concept of the world’s planetary boundaries. Integration of the topic into undergraduate general chemistry was operated by a digital learning environment providing the base for a transdisciplinary approach towards the topic. Findings are reported from an implementation case in a research university in the USA.

This chapter discusses a project of curriculum development for the non-formal educational sector. The project aims at student learning about sustainability issues in a chemistry-related context. For this purpose, non-formal laboratory-based learning environments are developed. The learning environments center round half- or one-day visits of secondary school students in a university laboratory and are networked with the formal school syllabus in chemistry and science education respectively. All modules integrate the non-formal laboratory event about issues of sustainability with teaching materials for preparation and assessment tasks in school to fulfill part of the school curriculum in chemistry or science teaching. This chapter discusses the project of developing respective modules, the structure thereof, and initial findings from their application. The discussion is illustrated by a module on environmental problems connected to the chemistry of the atmosphere, namely climate change, the hole in the ozone layer, and the phenomenon of summer smog.