Critical Thinking in Biology and Environmental Education: Facing Challenges in a Post-Truth World

Description

This volume seeks to broaden current ideas about the role of critical thinking (CT) in biology and environmental education considering educational challenges in the post-truth era. The chapters are distributed into three sections, perspectives of a theoretical character (part I), empirical research about CT in the context of biology and health education (part II), and empirical research on CT in the context of environmental and sustainability education (part III). The volume includes studies reporting students’ engagement in the practice of critical thinking, and displays how CT can be integrated in biology and environmental education and why biology and environmental issues are privileged contexts for the development of CT. The chapters examine a range of dimensions of CT, such as skills, dispositions, emotions, agency, open-mindedness, or personal epistemologies. In addition, they explore topics such as climate change, sustainable diets, genetically modified food, vaccination, acceptance of evolution, homeopathy, and gene cloning. Concluding remarks regarding the connections between the chapters and future directions for the integration of critical thinking in biology and environmental education are presented in a final chapter. Foreword Contents Part I: Perspectives on Critical Thinking Chapter 1: Educating Critical Citizens to Face Post-truth: The Time Is Now 1.1 Introduction: The Need for Critical Thinking 1.2 Critical Thinking and Criticality: From a Focus on Skills to a Focus on Practice 1.2.1 Critical Thinking: Criticality, Identities and Practice 1.2.2 Knowledge-Building Dynamics: Post-truth and Science Denial in Biology and Environmental Education 1.3 A Revised Characterization of Critical Thinking 1.4 Biology Education and Environmental Education as Privileged Contexts for the Development of Critical Thinking 1.5 Concluding Thoughts References Chapter 2: Critical Thinking in the Flesh: Movement and Metaphors in a World in Flux 2.1 Introduction: Critical Thinking as the Invitation to Think Anew in Biology Education 2.2 Biology at the Interface Between Environment and Society 2.3 Language and Material Demarcations 2.4 Structure and Process Supporting Critical Thinking in Biology Education 2.5 Embodied Cognition and Enactivism 2.6 The `Thinking´ Body 2.7 New Clothes for the Emperor? 2.8 Enlivened Metaphors in `Rhetorical Acts´ 2.9 Conclusions References Chapter 3: Emotional Sense-Making and Critical Thinking in the Era of Post-truth: The Case of Climate Change 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Critical Thinking in Science Education 3.3 Anti-science Stances and Post-truth 3.4 Emotions as Part of Critical Thinking 3.4.1 Emotionality of Scientific Pursuits 3.4.2 Emotions, Identity, and Interactions with Science 3.5 Climate Change, Identity, and Facts 3.6 Emotions Within and About Critical Thinking 3.6.1 Critical Thinking as a Goal of Pre-service Science Teachers 3.6.2 Intersection Between Critical Thinking and Emotions Emanating from Identity 3.6.3 Emotional Subtext of Climate Change Sense-Making and Identity 3.7 Concluding Remarks References Chapter 4: Culturally Relevant Science Education and Critical Thinking in Indigenous People: Bridging the Gap Between Communit... 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Theoretical Perspectives. Culturally Relevant Science Education and Critical Thinking 4.2.1 Intercultural Science Education from a Critical Perspective 4.2.2 Critical Thinking as Situated Practice 4.2.3 Students´ Knowledge, Their Identity and Critical Thinking 4.3 Methodological Approach. A Research Trajectory 4.4 Results and Discussion. Traditional Knowledge and Its Contribution to Reflections on Critical Thinking 4.4.1 Emotional Bond 4.4.2 Transforming Traditional School Roles 4.4.3 Relevant Topics with Potential to Promote Critical Thinking 4.4.4 Critical Thinking and the Identity of Students in Yochib 4.5 Concluding Thoughts. A Life Project and Critical Thinking References Part II: Research About Critical Thinking in Biology and Health Education Chapter 5: The Role of Evidence Evaluation in Critical Thinking: Fostering Epistemic Vigilance 5.1 Introduction: Promoting Reasoning in Epistemically Unfriendly Contexts 5.2 Theoretical Framework: Grasp of Evidence 5.3 Instructional Context- Model-Based Inquiry in Biology 5.3.1 Argumentation Tasks 5.4 Research Questions and Analysis 5.5 Results and Discussion 5.6 Conclusion and Implications References Chapter 6: Supporting Critical Thinking Through Engagement in Dialogic Argumentation: Taking Multiple Considerations into Acco... 6.1 Introduction: Critical Thinking and Dialogic Argumentation 6.2 Modes of Inquiry 6.2.1 Participants 6.2.2 Procedure 6.2.2.1 Initial Assessment 6.2.2.2 Intervention 6.2.2.3 Final Assessment 6.3 Results 6.3.1 Coding 6.3.2 Preliminary Analysis 6.3.3 Number of Arguments 6.3.4 Categories of Arguments: Social, Scientific and Socio-scientific 6.3.5 Diversity of Arguments 6.3.6 Sidedness of Essays 6.3.7 Examples of Students´ Arguments at Initial and Final Assessment 6.4 Discussion References Chapter 7: Critical Thinking to Decide What to Believe and What to Do Regarding Vaccination in Schools. A Case Study with Prim... 7.1 Introduction 7.2 The Role of Critical Thinking and Health Literacy 7.2.1 Critical Thinking and SSIs Instruction 7.2.2 Critical Thinking and Health Literacy on the Topic of Vaccination 7.3 Methodology 7.3.1 Participants, Instructional Context and Design 7.3.2 Data Collection and Analysis 7.4 Results 7.4.1 Critical Thinking and Background Knowledge on Vaccination 7.4.1.1 Critical Thinking Skills in the Evaluation of Anti-vaccination Premises 7.4.1.2 Background Knowledge on Vaccination 7.4.2 Connections Between CT Skills and Knowledge Domain on Immunization 7.5 Discussion and Educational Implications References Chapter 8: Students´ Thinking Strategies and the Role of Argument as a Shared Thinking Tool 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Methods 8.2.1 Tasks 8.2.2 Participants 8.2.3 Data Analysis 8.3 Results 8.3.1 Thinking Strategies and Argumentation in Students´ Decision-Making Discussion 8.3.2 Thinking Strategies and Argumentation in Students´ Discussion on Articulating an Experimental Procedure 8.4 Discussion References Chapter 9: Fostering Critical Thinking About Health Issues: Facts of Success and Failure in the Case of Homeopathy 9.1 Health-Related Pseudosciences in Science and in Science Education 9.1.1 Socio-Scientific Issues in the Classroom 9.1.2 Use of Data and Critical Thinking 9.2 Methods, Educational and Regional Context 9.2.1 Controversies About Homeopathy in Spain and Europe 9.2.2 Research Questions and Design 9.3 Results: Skepticism About Homeopathy 9.4 Results About Critical Thinking: Justifications and Use of Evidence 9.4.1 Effectiveness of Homeopathic Products 9.4.2 Consideration of Homeopathic Products as Medicines 9.5 Results Concerning Critical Thinking: Breadth of Thinking and Willingness to Change 9.6 Critical Thinking: Expert Consideration 9.7 Implications for Education References Part III: Research About Critical Thinking in Environmental and Sustainability Education Chapter 10: Teaching Science in Chilean Environmentally Degraded Areas: An Analysis from a Critical and Ecofeminist Perspective 10.1 Introduction: Socio-Environmental Conflicts and Science Education 10.2 Socio-Environmental Context and Theoretical Perspectives 10.2.1 Socio-Environmental Degradations in the Aconcagua Valley 10.2.2 Critical Thinking and Critical Scientific Literacy in the Context of Environmentally Degraded Areas 10.2.3 Ecofeminist Principles and Transformation from the School 10.3 Experiences of Chilean Science Teachers in Environmental Degraded Areas: From In-Service Teacher Education to Citizen Edu... 10.3.1 Case 1: Understanding Together the Sense of Educating in Sciences Through the Relationship Between Science Education an... 10.3.1.1 How Is Science Teaching Understood in a Professional Education Community? 10.3.1.2 What Is the Focus of the Groups´ Lesson Plans? Views for a Teaching Sequence on ``Water´´ 10.3.1.3 Teachers Report Their Own Learning 10.3.2 Case 2: To Include Students, the Experience of a Teacher in the City of Los Andes 10.3.2.1 Highly Degraded Territory and Citizens´ Response 10.3.2.2 Classroom Practices in the Local Context and Development of Critical Thinking 10.3.3 Case 3: Critical Scientific Literacy Outside School 10.3.3.1 Building Collaborative Work in the Community 10.3.3.2 Critical Scientific Literacy Outside of School in Highly Deteriorated Territories 10.3.3.3 Education of Critical Citizenship in Interdisciplinary Spaces 10.4 Discussion and Implications 10.4.1 Educational Practices Contextualized to the Territory 10.4.2 Promotion of Critical Thinking Inside and Outside of the Classroom 10.4.3 Principles of Ecofeminism That Facilitate the Development of Critical Thinking References Chapter 11: Spatial and Temporal Dynamics in Climate Change Education Discourse: An Ecolinguistic Perspective 11.1 Re-imagining Climate Change Education for Next Generations 11.2 Critical Thinking and Scientific Learning 11.3 The Spatial and Temporal Nature of Climatic Change 11.4 Modes of Inquiry 11.4.1 Context and Data Collection Process 11.4.2 Data Analysis Approach 11.5 Epistemic, Relational, Emotional Aspects of Climate Change in Students´ Explanations 11.5.1 Temporal Indexicality for Climate Change Core Ideas 11.5.1.1 Effects of Climate Change in the Future 11.5.1.2 Humans Are Altering the Climate Change NOW 11.5.2 Spatial Indexicality for Climate Change Core Ideas 11.5.2.1 Global Perceptions: Planet Is Impacting and Affected by the Climate Change 11.5.2.2 Local Perceptions: Region & Family Is Impacting and Affected from the Climate Change 11.5.3 Positional and Emotional Sensemaking of Change Core Ideas 11.5.3.1 Collective Problem and Action 11.5.3.2 Unexpected Mechanisms and Effects of Climate Change 11.5.3.3 Empathy and Concern for the Environment 11.6 Conclusions References Chapter 12: Social Responsibility and Critical Disposition for Considering and Acting upon Conflicting Evidence in Argumentati... 12.1 Introduction and Objectives: Critical Thinking and Conflicts 12.2 Theoretical Framework 12.2.1 Education for Sustainable Development and Environmental Agency: Sustainable Food Choices 12.2.2 Critical Thinking Framed in Criticality and Action 12.2.3 Argumentation About Socio Scientific Issues: The Role of Values and Conflicts 12.3 Methods and Instructional Context 12.4 Findings 12.4.1 Critical Character: Open-Mindedness and Consideration of Inconvenient Evidence 12.4.2 Thinking and Social Responsibility: Making Decisions and Overcoming Conflicting Evidence 12.4.3 Critical Action: Change Towards Sustainability and Identification of Obstacles 12.5 Discussion and Significance References Chapter 13: Epistemic Beliefs as a Means of Understanding Critical Thinking in a Socioscientific Environmental Debate 13.1 Dealing Critically with Unfriendly Epistemic Contexts 13.2 Towards a Theoretical Framework Connecting Critical Thinking and Epistemic Beliefs 13.2.1 Critical Thinking 13.2.2 Epistemic Beliefs 13.2.3 Epistemic Beliefs and Socioscientific Argumentation 13.2.4 Research Questions 13.3 Methodology 13.3.1 Context: The AREN Project and the Participants 13.3.2 Data Analysis 13.3.2.1 Analysis of Students´ Argumentation 13.3.2.2 Analysis of Epistemic Beliefs 13.4 Results Concerning Students´ Arguments and Epistemic Beliefs 13.4.1 Analysis of Students´ Argumentation and Epistemic Beliefs 13.4.2 Cross-Analysis of Argumentation and Features of Epistemic Beliefs 13.5 Discussion and Conclusion Appendix: Questions of the Interview Guide References Chapter 14: Primary School Teachers´ Understanding of Critical Thinking in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Critical Thinking-A Complex Idea 14.3 Critical Thinking in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development 14.4 Methods, Context, and Participants 14.5 Results 14.5.1 Teachers´ Understanding of CT 14.5.2 Teachers´ Understanding of CT in the Context of ESD 14.6 Discussion 14.6.1 Primary School Teachers´ Understanding of CT 14.6.2 Primary Teachers´ Ability to Enact CT in ESD Appendix References Part IV: Concluding Remarks Chapter 15: The Integration of Critical Thinking in Biology and Environmental Education. Contributions and Further Directions 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Integration of Critical Thinking in Biology and Environmental Education: Main Ideas and Contributions 15.3 Future Directions for the Integration of Critical Thinking in Biology and Environmental Education References