Integrating Sustainability into STEM Education: A Case Study from Gedik University

Written by Büşra Dursun, Global Schools Advocate.

This article is part of the Once An Advocate Always An Advocate Series.

On January 9–10, 2025, I participated at the Istanbul Gedik University inaugural National Energy Transition and Sustainability Conference (EDSK’25), a landmark event that united diverse voices in the pursuit of a greener future.

The Conference was hosted by Istanbul Gedik University in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and several universities and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Its main objective was to bring together researchers, educators, and policymakers to discuss innovative practices and research supporting Turkey’s energy transition and sustainability goals in alignment with the UN 2030 Agenda.

The conference welcomed university academics, graduate students, researchers, NGO representatives, and K-12 educators working on sustainability education. The university not only hosted the event but also published the proceedings through Gedik University Press.

I was invited to present a paper on the Global Schools Program and its educational model for integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the school curriculum. My presentation focused on how STEM teachers can use Global Schools Activity Guides and Smithsonian Science for Global Goals modules to embed sustainability and climate action into lesson design.

Although I am a K-12 teacher, my paper was accepted in the Education and Energy Transition section because it bridges school-level practice and higher-education research on sustainability pedagogy.

I delivered the presentation to an audience of university professors, researchers, and teacher-educators interested in curriculum design and sustainability education.

In my presentation, titled “Planning STEM Lessons with Global Schools Activity Guides: Climate Change and Energy,” I showcased how the Activity Guides can be seamlessly integrated into the national curriculum across subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. The session highlighted practical approaches for linking global climate and energy concepts to classroom learning, providing teachers with tools to make lessons both engaging and relevant. It also demonstrated the application of structured pedagogical frameworks to address pressing global challenges within the educational context. By integrating the Global Schools Activity Guides with STEM competencies, the session illustrated how these guides serve as both a conceptual framework and a practical toolkit, enabling students to critically engage with sustainability topics while supporting thoughtful lesson planning.

The EN-ROADS (Energy Rapid Overview and Decision-Support) Climate Simulator, developed by Climate Interactive and the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, was part of my presentation at a separate conference session. I used it to demonstrate how students can explore the impact of different energy and policy decisions on global temperature and carbon emissions within the lesson design I shared. By modeling various energy production scenarios, EN-ROADS allows learners to analyze complex systems and understand the implications of policy choices on global energy and climate outcomes. In classroom use, the simulator supports systems thinking and decision-making in alignment with SDG 13 (Climate Action).

The lesson plans were developed for grades 9-12 (high school level), integrating the SDGs into IB Biology and national STEM courses, particularly focusing on energy systems, climate modeling, and sustainable technologies.

The developed lesson plans are explicitly aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 13 (Climate Action), and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), emphasizing the practical translation of global objectives into classroom activities.

The approach showcases how structured activity guides can scaffold experiential learning, promote systems thinking, and foster awareness of sustainability challenges among students.

Following the conference, a detailed article was published in Gedik University Press and is accessible via ResearchGate, providing a comprehensive resource for educators seeking to implement evidence-based strategies for sustainability education. The publication underscores the value of globally-informed pedagogical tools, such as the Global Schools Activity Guides, in enhancing the effectiveness of STEM instruction and cultivating students’ capacity to engage with complex societal challenges.