Advertisement

Cultural Studies of Science Education

, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp 27–40 | Cite as

Collaborating on global priorities: science education for everyone—any time and everywhere

  • Kenneth Tobin
Forum
First Online:

Abstract

Building on the key ideas from Dana Zeidler’s paper I expand the conversation from the standpoint that the challenges facing humanity and the capacity of Earth to support life suggest that changes in human lifestyles are a priority. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to educate all humans about some of the science-related grand challenges, such as global warming and wellness. The key is to enact programs that have relevance to all citizens, irrespective of: age, location, language proficiency, economic resources, religion, gender, sexual preference, and level of prior education. Since significant changes are needed in human lifestyles the current emphasis on preK-12 science education needs to be expanded to cover all humans and the places in which education occurs should be everywhere. I explore the use of a multilogical framework to conceptualize science and thereby transform science education in ways that better relate to priorities of wellness and harmony in the ecosystems that sustain life on Earth. I illustrate the potential of multilogicality in a context of complementary medicine, using three frameworks: Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient system of medicine; a diet to reduce inflammation; and iridology. Use of a multilogical framework to conceptualize science provides opportunities for science education to focus on education for literate citizenry (birth–death) and responsible action, connect to the massive challenges of the present, and select content that has high relevance to sustainability, wellness, and well-being at local, national, and global levels.

Keywords

Curricular relevance Impact of humans Climate change Wellness Literate citizenry Sociocultural perspectives 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. Abscal, K. (2011). The Abscal way: To quiet inflammation for health and weight loss. Vashon, WA: Tigana Press.Google Scholar
  2. Bai, H. (2015). Peace with the earth: Animism and contemplative ways. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 10, 135–147. doi: 10.1007/s11422-013-9501-z.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Burmeister, A., & Monte, T. (1997). The touch of healing: Energizing body, mind, and spirit with the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu ®. New York: Bantam Books.Google Scholar
  4. Carter, L. (2010). The armchair at the borders: The “messy” ideas of borders and border epistemologies within multicultural science education scholarship. Science Education, 94, 428–447. doi: 10.1002/sce.20323.Google Scholar
  5. Duncan, A. (2009). Secretary Arne Duncan’s remarks to the President’s Council of Advisors on science and technology. Retrieved on April 20, 2015, from http://www2.ed.gov/news/speeches/2009/10/10232009.html.
  6. Fellner, G. (2014). Broadening our lenses of perception to advance learning: An introduction to multilectics. Teaching and Teacher Education, 37, 169–182. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2013.04.015.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Hurd, P. D. (1998). Scientific literacy: New minds for a changing world. Science Education, 82, 407–416. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-237X(199806)82:3<407::AID-SCE6>3.0.CO;2-G.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Ingersoll, R. (2001). Teacher turnover and teacher shortages: An organizational analysis. American Educational Research Journal, 38, 499–534. doi: 10.3102/00028312038003499.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Jensen, B. (1980). Iridology simplified: An introduction to the science of iridology and its relation to nutrition (5th ed.). Summertown, TN: Healthy Living.Google Scholar
  10. Kaptchuk, T. J. (2000). Chinese medicine: The web that has no weaver. London: Rider.Google Scholar
  11. Kincheloe, J. L. (2010). Knowledge and critical pedagogy: An introduction. Dordrecht: Springer.Google Scholar
  12. Kincheloe, J. L. (2015). Foreword: Pearls of wisdom. In K. Tobin & S. R. Steinberg (Eds.), Doing educational research (second edition): A handbook (pp. ix–xxxviii). Rotterdam, NL: Sense Publishing.Google Scholar
  13. Kincheloe, J. L., & Tobin, K. (2009). The much exaggerated death of positivism. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 4, 513–528. doi: 10.1007/s11422-009-9178-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Powietrzynska, M., Tobin, K., & Alexakos, K. (2015). Facing the grand challenges through heuristics and mindfuLness. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 10(1), 65–81. doi: 10.1007/s11422-014-9588-x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Roth, W.-M. (2007). Theorizing passivity. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 2, 1–8.Google Scholar
  16. Roth, W.-M., & Tobin, K. (2002). At the elbows of another: Learning to teach through coteaching. New York, NY: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
  17. Ruddiman, W. F., Ellis, E. C., Kaplan, J. O., & Fuller, D. Q. (2015). Defining the epoch we live: Is a formally designated “Anthropocene” a good idea? Science, 348(6230), 38–39. doi: 10.1126/science.aaa7297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Sachs, J. D. (2015). The age of sustainable development. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
  19. Sewell, W. H, Jr. (1999). The concept(s) of culture. In V. E. Bonell & L. Hunt (Eds.), Beyond the cultural turn (pp. 35–61). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
  20. Sewell, W. H, Jr. (2005). Logics of history: Social theory and social transformation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Tinker, B. (2015). President Obama, others link climate change to public health. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/health/obama-climate-change-public-health/index.html.
  22. Tobin, K. (2008). In search of new lights: Getting the most from competing perspectives. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 3, 227–230. doi: 10.1007/s11422-008-9109-x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Tobin, K. (2009). Tuning into others’ voices: Radical listening, learning from difference, and escaping oppression. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 4, 505–511. doi: 10.1007/s11422-009-9181-x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Tobin, K. (2011). Global reproduction and transformation of science education. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 6, 127–142. doi: 10.1007/s11422-010-9293-3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Tobin, K., Alexakos, K., & Powietrzynska, M. (2015). Mindfulness and wellness: Central components of a science of learning. Innovación Educativa, 15(67), 61–87.Google Scholar
  26. Tobin, K., & Llena, R. (2011). Producing and maintaining culturally adaptive teaching and learning of science in urban schools. In C. Murphy & K. Scantlebury (Eds.), Coteaching in international contexts: Research and practice (pp. 79–104). Dordrecht: Springer.Google Scholar
  27. Tobin, K., & Llena, R. (2014). Emotions as mediators of science education in an urban high school. In K. Tobin & A. A. Shady (Eds.), Transforming urban education: Collaborating to produce success in science, mathematics and technology education (pp. 201–218). Rotterdam: Sense. doi: 10.1007/978-94-6209-563-2_13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Tobin, K., & Roth, W.-M. (2006). Teaching to learn: A view from the field. Rotterdam: Sense.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.The Graduate CenterCity University of New YorkNew YorkUSA

Personalised recommendations

Cite article

Buy options