How to transform complex topics into meaningful learning

One of the biggest challenges in sustainability education is teaching complex topics without reducing them to empty simplifications. Issues like climate change, natural resources, consumption, and social justice are interdependent, controversial, and involve different perspectives. For many educators, the question that arises is: how can we make all of this understandable, without losing the necessary depth, and still engage students of different ages and backgrounds?

In my career as an educator and researcher, I have pursued precisely this path: transforming complexity into meaningful learning that connects theory and practice, science and everyday life, reflection and action. During my doctorate in Education at UFSCar, for example, I worked with development of case studies on socio-environmental dilemmas. Instead of presenting only abstract concepts, I brought real-world controversies into the classroom, such as the impact of plastic toys on children and the discussion about plant-based burgers made from soy. By confronting students with these concrete situations, it was possible to foster not only an understanding of scientific aspects, but also critical debates about economics, health, culture, and the environment.

This approach has shown that when we invite students to analyze real problems, they learn more deeply and engagedly. Controversies spark questions, stimulate critical thinking, and broaden the understanding that sustainability is not a linear issue, but a contested field involving political, social, and personal choices.

In addition to case studies, I also experimented with playful methodologies, such as the game I developed with colleagues during Berlin Science Week 2023. At that meeting, we created interactive scenarios to discuss the theme Our Precious Resources, within the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Residency Program. Participants were invited to assume roles in fictitious situations, make collective decisions, and deal with dilemmas regarding the use of natural resources. The activity generated intense reflection, as it allowed each participant to experience the complexity of the problems and perceive the impacts of different choices.

What I learned from these experiences is that the key isn't to simplify the content, but to build bridges between the complexity and the learners' reality. When we connect the topics to their experiences, we provide them with tools to understand systemic relationships, develop their own positions, and devise creative solutions.

Transforming complexity into meaningful learning requires courage to open space for debate, uncertainty, and multiple perspectives. But it is precisely this movement that prepares educators, young people, and communities to face the challenges of sustainability in a critical and emancipatory way.