Educating for a sustainable future: a pedagogical model for green and sustainable chemistry in a teacher education program

Globally, there is a growing trend among chemistry educators to integrate Green and Sustainable Chemistry (GSC) into both chemistry instruction and teacher training. This shift reflects a broader recognition of the need to equip students not only with chemical knowledge but also with an understanding of the environmental, economic, and societal implications of chemistry. While various perspectives on integrating GSC have been documented in the literature, most focus on introducing GSC as a new curriculum, which remains optional and subject to individual educator interest. In contrast, this study introduces GSC as a pedagogical strategy for preservice chemistry teachers. GSC was embedded within the Chemistry Teaching Methods course – a compulsory component of the Bachelor of Science Education (Chemistry) program at the School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The study details how GSC was integrated into the course’s three main components: lecture, simulated teaching, and project work. The study also presents the application of Three Spheres of Transformation model adapted from Leichenko et al. (2022. Teaching the “how” of Transformation. Sustain. Sci. 2022, 17, 573–584) to educate the preservice teachers on a chemistry pedagogical approach that reflects sustainability.