DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00293

Summary
This paper focuses on system concepts used in teaching chemical concepts or interdisciplinary chemistry-related topics. The system concept is important to develop global competences. A questionnaire has been administered to Italian teachers and International Baccalaureate (IB) teachers. Science teachers need epistemological insight into systemic chemical aspects, which may be provided by high-quality textbooks and training initiatives focusing on the systemic character of chemistry and its interdisciplinary connections.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
System concept knowledge is the precondition for systems thinking, an approach for researching and learning from a systemic perspective. A system may be defined as an entity composed of interrelated and interdependent components, working toward the attainment of certain functions. All the components interact so that a peculiar structure/organization characterizes a given system, which exhibits “emergent properties” depending on the rules of interaction in the system. Individual parts of a system can be viewed independently, but this reductionist approach overlooks the way in which these parts operate as a whole, which is necessary to fully understand the system’s nature. Globalization created a more direct relationship among law, ethics, social sciences, and chemistry. Global competence can be defined as “the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance. The branches of chemistry most suitable for the development of global competences are “environmental chemistry” and the strictly related “sustainable chemistry”, because of their interdisciplinary nature and connections to the impact of humankind on the planet.

Point of Strength
Chemistry educators can play a fundamental role by helping students to understand how fields such as economics, politics, and law interact with natural sciences by a systemic point of view, in order to establish rational energy policies, to promote technological innovation, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and so on. Furthermore, disciplinary and interdisciplinary concept teaching by a systemic approach enhances students higher order cognitive skills.