DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00637

Summary
This paper reports conclusions from the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) project entitled Systems Thinking in Chemistry Education (STICE).
A framework to conceptualize what systems thinking could mean in the context of chemistry education was developed during the STICE project. According to this framework, the learner was visualized at the center of a system, with three interconnected subsystems (a) the Educational Research and Theories subsystem, which focuses on how people learn (including theoretical frameworks of learning, learning progressions, and the social contexts of learning); (b) the Chemistry Teaching and Learning subsystem, which focuses on the unique features of learning chemistry processes; and (c) the Earth and Societal Systems subsystem, which focuses on elements that orient chemistry toward meeting societal and environmental needs.
Authors have also classified the potential areas for future work about systems thinking into three categories: (1) developing systems thinking resources for chemistry educators and students based on identification of both the chemistry areas and the interconnections that are appropriate for a systems thinking approach, (2) identifying chemistry education research needed to investigate and improve systems thinking approaches with priority to the development of theoretical framework(s) that can inform further development of material by practitioners and researchers, and (3) investigating opportunities to implement chemistry-related systems thinking approaches in a wide range of formal and informal chemistry education contexts.
Finally, authors claim that there is a great potential for integrating systems thinking approaches into chemistry education, (a) for improving conceptual understanding of chemical principles through highlighting issues such as emergence, levels of complexity, and dynamic interconnections, and (b) for enhancing student understanding of fundamental aspects of systems behavior through chemical contexts.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
This paper deals with systems thinking and sustainable development
Systems thinking has been identified as an important strategy to facilitate moving from a strictly reductionist to a more holistic view of chemistry education. Systems thinking has been defined as “the ability to understand and interpret complex systems” and involves “(i) visualizing the interconnections and relationships between the parts in the system; (ii) examining behaviors that change over time; and (iii) examining how systems-level phenomena emerge from interactions between the system’s parts”. In other educational contexts, systems thinking shows a commitment to (a) enhance students’ knowledge, skills, and values in chemistry through a focus on the interconnections between different chemical phenomena; (b) improve students’ knowledge of the influence of chemistry on planetary and societal issues; and (c) prepare students to make informed decisions and to address the complex global challenges of the 21st century.
The authors refer to the sustainable development as a global sustainability initiative that is described by UN Sustainable Development Goals. These Goals provide “a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet”, set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and adopted by all UN member states in 2015.

Point of Strength
The strength of the publication is the proposed framework for exploring the use of systems thinking in chemistry education.