Jelle De Schrijver

University of Antwerp & Odisee University of Applied Sciences

In the 19th century, the case of Phineas Gage suggested that our moral sense could be located in a particular area of the brain. Damage to a part of the prefrontal cortex seemed to have selectively bereft the railroad worker of his moral faculties, resulting in lawless and anti-social behaviour. Additional studies revealed that behaviour of Phineas...

We live in a world in which personal choices and public discussions rely on scientific understanding. To make decisions we need to evaluate scientific evidence, understand how this knowledge was generated and how reliable it is. As botanic gardens are situated at the crossroads of scientific research and education, they provide excellent opportunit...

Addressing the epistemological issues and philosophical questions characteristic of the nature of science can be a challenge for science teachers less used to dealing with uncertainties, multiple perspectives and non-consensus situations and pedagogical approaches associated with this. In this chapter, we argue that science teachers can be supporte...

An introduction to the co-creation of policy briefs with youth and academic teams Drawing on insights from a four-day online workshop which explored geo-engineering and policy making with 13 youth participants, an academic and youth authorial team provide a guide to the co-creation of policy briefs. Drawing on excerpts from the policy brief at diff...

Hoe reageer je als leraar op een leerling die twijfelt aan de evolutietheorie? Hoe kan je een hoogoplopende discussie over abortus ombuigen naar een constructief klasgesprek? En hoe ga je om met uitspraken van leerlingen die ingaan tegen je eigen overtuigingen en waarden? Lesgeven als leerkracht wetenschappen over thema’s zoals evolutietheorie, gen...

Education about socioscientific issues (SSIs) can be challenging as underlying tensions can surface. When discussing the topic of genetic engineering, these tensions can be related to (1) the molecular biology of genetics and genetic engineering, (2) the evolutionary aspects of genetic engineering, (3) the nature of science and (4) the ethical unde...

Mediawijsheid is ruimer dan alleen betrouwbare media leren gebruiken. Het omvat ook kritisch leren denken over media, waarheid en betrouwbaarheid. De methode van het filosoferen met kinderen vormt een beloftevolle aanpak om kritisch denken op te wekken. Op basis van deze methode ontwikkelen we de Kritikat-methodiek om het kritisch denken over media...

Especially in times of fake news and populism, critical thinking is a key skill for students to master. In the ongoing "Redeneerling"-project, a cross-curricular teaching method is developed aiming to stimulate the critical thinking skills of students through dialogue, focusing on argumentation skills, recognition of logical fallacies, and analysis...

Large-scale intervention in the Earth’s climate system (‘geoengineering’ or ‘climate engineering’) is increasingly present in discussions about possible responses to climate change. Research has tended to focus on the acceptability of geoengineering proposals to adults, with youth perspectives under-represented despite the intergenerational consequ...

Philosophical dialogue requires an approach to teaching and learning in science that is focused on problem posing and provides space for meaning making, finding new ways of thinking and understanding and for linking science with broader human experiences. This article explores the role that philosophical dialogue can play in science lessons and the...

To improve pupils' motivation for and attitude towards sciences as well as their inquiry skills, we introduced P4C in Flemish science classes using a design-based research paradigm. 12 to 14 year-olds participated in several P4C sessions, focusing on the nature of science and scientific concepts. Based on both qualitative and quantitative research...

To enhance scientific literacy among primary and secondary school students, educating about the nature of science (NoS) plays a pivotal role. NoS entails the epistemological underpinnings of science such as its realm and limits or the reasons for its reliability. Whereas decontextualized NoS approaches draw the attention of students to specific NoS...

Increasingly, educating about the nature of science (NoS) is considered crucial to science education. NoS entails central features of science such as its realm and limits, its levels of uncertainty, its biases and the reasons for its reliability. As the scientific heritage in university collections testifies of the scientific practice as such, it p...

De slagzin " Dit is wetenschappelijk bewezen " prijkt zowel op potjes yoghurt als op fles-sen shampoo en weerklinkt in reclames en tv-reportages. Maar wanneer is een wetenschappelijke uitspraak bewezen? En kan een wetenschapper wel een definitief bewijs leveren? Om dit soort vragen te beantwoorden is inzicht nodig in hoe het wetenschappelijke bedri...

Er wordt wel eens gezegd dat het Vlaamse wetenschapsonderwijs eerder op antwoorden dan op vragen is gericht. Hoewel de onderzoekscompetentie centraal staat in het Vlaamse wetenschapsonderwijs, valt inderdaad op dat het leren formuleren van goede onderzoeks-vragen een grote uitdaging blijft voor leerlingen. De methodiek van het filosoferen biedt mog...

The moral brain teases the imagination and triggers the fantasy of many people, both laymen and scientists. Engineering human morality is a recurring and popular theme in science fiction, from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the French fin-de-siècle author Albert Robida’s “moral bacilli” to Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange....

Scientists no longer accept the existence of a distinct moral organ as phrenologists once did. A generation of young neurologists is using advanced technological medical equipment to unravel specific brain processes enabling moral cognition. In addition, evolutionary psychologists have formulated hypotheses about the origins and nature of our moral...