Aquaponics, the combination of fish farming and plant cultivation in a symbiotic system, is a sustainable solution for food production and efficient resource use during the current climate crisis. It can be further used as a teaching tool to educate and empower students. Previous research has shown its advantages and potential of increased understanding of systematic thinking, which is required in sustainable development processes. Its utilization has been studied at different education levels in several countries, including Sweden. Nevertheless, there is a lack of literature on providing educational tools to teachers based on the Swedish syllabi and its educational framework. This study aims to lay a solid foundation of tools for 8th grade teachers to implement an aquaponics system as a teaching tool in Sweden.
For this purpose, we designed and shared guidelines with recommended activities alongside practical explanations. An aquaponics system was built and maintained by 75 8th graders during the full academic year 2022-23, to test its pedagogical application within different subjects such as STEM, home education, Swedish, and English. Three rounds of semi-structured interviews were carried out with the teachers involved in this project to analyze and reflect upon the activities organized around the aquaponic system. The key findings on setting up this new aquaponic project were: 1) teachers lack the time to initiate new projects on their own without pre-made teaching materials, 2) improved planning for scheduling activities throughout the academic year, along with clear guidance for teachers starting from scratch are needed. From these findings, we have developed a practical guideline, in order to reiterate and expand on the activities suggested to embed aquaponics as a teaching tool on a deeper level within the Swedish educational framework