Chantal Pouliot

Pleasure as a Sign of Efficacy of Mental Activity

Previous work has shown that sensory pleasure is both the motor and the sign of optimal behaviors aimed at physiological ends. From an evolutionary psychology point of view it may be postulated tha...

Thinking outside the 'knowledge deficit' box.

The professional activities of scientists are demanding and varied. In addition to their research activities, scientists are expected to be able to interact successfully with citizens to inform, consult, or, more rarely, work with them. In this article, we propose that the traditional model of communication itself—hereafter called the ‘deficit model’—makes scientist uncomfortable with this societal role and, as a consequence, makes them reluctant to actively engage with the public. In order to break down such barriers, we suggest complementing the skills of scientists with knowledge and experience from the social sciences fields that examine the relationships between science and society, namely Public Under

Battle of the Bands: Toxic Dust, Active Citizenship and Science Education

Humanity is facing many serious realized and predicted problems for the wellbeing of individuals, societies and environments associated with influences of powerful people and groups on fields of science and technology (and, likely, engineering and mathematics). While a plethora of problems are linked to fossil fuel uses, with particular concerns relating to climate change, excessive promotion of production and consumption is threatening a range of habitats and species and harmful substances in many manufactured goods — such as fats, sugars, salts, food colourings and preservatives in food products, combustion products in cigarettes and a range of untested chemicals in everyday household cleansers and hygiene products — are associated with various preventable diseases, like cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes and cancer. Given that many of these problems seem tied to global economic systems, which — in their neoliberal form — depend on cooperation of governments and transnational governing bodies and agreements, it seems clear that more citizens must take active roles in analyzing and evaluating products and services of fields of science and technology (and other related fields) and, where problems are identified, be prepared to take informed actions to bring about a better world. Given roles of fields of science and technology (and others) in contributing to harms like those identified above, a logical place for helping to develop more activist citizens is through school science and technology (and related subjects). To do so, however, it seems essential to base such education on authentic situations of citizen engagement in such socio-political controversies. In this paper, we describe an ongoing case of citizen data-informed actions to address what they perceived to be toxic metal dust pollution (including nickel, arsenic, lead, cadmium, cobalt, manganese and zinc) accumulating on objects in their community that they claim is emanating from the city’s inland ocean port. Our analyses suggest that rectifying responses from the city and, perhaps, resistance to such responses can be explained using Foucault’s concept of dispositif (an aggregate of actants serving certain purposes). A key to this conclusion was activists’ discovery of decades-old reports commissioned by the city that, if they had been made part of public discourse, may have increased levels of public consciousness to the point that earlier corrective actions might have been taken. With this case and analyses of it, we suggest that it could serve as an excellent model to be included in apprenticeships for helping students to develop expertise, confidence and motivation for self-directing research-informed actions to address socioscientific problems of their choice — including in terms of working to develop dispositifs to support their causes. Moreover, the dispositif concept could be used to help mobilize such approaches across numerous educational contexts — with, for example, educators working to initiate a network of cooperating stakeholders (e.g., governments, businesses, media outlets, teacher associations, school districts, etc.).

Et pourquoi pas une éducation aux sciences qui aborde la participation des acteurs sociaux aux controverses sociotechniques

RésuméDans cet article nous faisons état d’une recherche qui s’est déroulée dans le cadre d’un projet orienté vers une éducation aux sciences citoyennes. Nous présentons la recherche et quelques-uns des résultats qui en sont issus, puis nous prenons position quant à la pertinence d’aborder, en classe de sciences, les questions de la participation citoyenne aux débats sociotechniques et des rôles et capacités des acteurs sociaux concernés.AbstractIn this article we discuss research that was conducted as part of a project on citizen science education. We present the research and some of the results, and then take a position on the pertinence of examining, in science classes, questions on citizen participation in socio-technical debates and the roles and capacities of the social actors concerned.

WISE Preservice Teachers Discussing Social and Economic Disparities During a Discussion Game Dealing with Nanotechnologies

STEPWISE is a pedagogical framework that aims to encourage students and teachers to think of science and technology education as a way of fostering the well-being of individuals, societies and environments—and take action to this end. ‘Decide’ is a group discussion game published under a Creative Commons License. It broadly shares STEPWISE orientations, as it invites participants to inquire, discuss and take positions on a socio-technical controversy, such as xenotransplantation, stem cells or neuroscience, in the context of a discussion conducted democratically. STEPWISE and Decide also share the aim of encouraging students to reflect on the way economic relationships play out in techno-science. In this chapter, we first present the game, outlining its main features and ways to integrate it into a STEPWISE approach in the science and technology classroom. We then show how two groups of preservice teachers expressed their views on social and economic disparities during a game session focusing on the progression and management of controversies surrounding the development and commercialization of nanotechnologies. More specifically, we present excerpts of conversations in which these participants discussed limited access to the products and services that allow people to benefit from nanotechnologies—in particular, those aimed at slowing down the aging process—the unequal distribution of the costs and benefits of these technologies, the risk of offshoring factories and exploiting child labour, and the development of medical treatments—especially cancer treatments—for profit.

Supporting Pre-service Teachers to Teach for Citizenship in the Context of STSE Issues

Addressing issues concerning relationships among fields of Science and Technology and Societies and Environments (STSE issues) is one context through which researchers recognize links between science education and citizenship education (Pedretti & Nazir, ci Edu 95(4): 601–626, 2011). Yet, amidst gaps between science education and democratic participation (Levinson, Stud Sci Edu 46(1): 69–119, 2010), scholars and educators have been advocating for reworking classroom practices to nurture more critical and activist dispositions among students on STSE issues (Santos, Sci Edu 93(2): 361–382, 2009). To assist students to participate in knowledge production and decision-making on STSE issues, science teachers need to be equally supported to teach for such a participatory form of citizenship. In this chapter, we explore extents to which a teacher training course structured around the ‘STEPWISE’ curriculum and pedagogical framework might have supported pre-service teachers to teach for socio-political activism on STSE issues. We specifically analyzed student-teachers’ views about STSE and nature of science (NOS). We also inquired about participants’ views and positions regarding roles of school science in preparing critical and active citizens on STSE issues. Finally, we examined extents to which the course might have influenced pre-service teachers’ pedagogical dispositions (in terms of confidence, motivation and expertise) to incorporate socio-political activism in their future practice. Participants’ educational background and research experience were found to influence their relative dispositions to teach for socio-political activism, as well as their views about STSE and NOS. Implications for similar teacher training courses are finally discussed.

Éducation aux sciences et relations de pouvoir dans les controverses sociotechniques

RésuméDans cet article, nous illustrons la façon dont des étudiantes inscrites dans un profil d’études collégiales en éducation décrivent, en réponse à un questionnaire et pendant des séances d’un jeu de société portant sur les nanotechnologies, la gestion de controverses sociotechniques sous l’angle des rapports de pouvoir. Nous constatons que les participantes attribuent le pouvoir, notamment de décision, aux personnes qu’elles considèrent détenir des savoirs légitimes. Quatre cas de figure sont présentés. Selon le cas, la plus grande part du pouvoir est attribuée aux scientifiques et aux ingénieurs, aux représentants politiques, aux citoyens ou encore n’est attribuée à aucun groupe d’acteurs sociaux.AbstractIn this article, we show how students registered in pre-university college studies in Education characterize the management of socio-technical controversies in terms of power relationships. Using responses gathered from a questionnaire and from sessions where participants played a board game relating to nanotechnologies, we found that participants attribute power, specifically decisionmaking power, to the people they view as having legitimate knowledge. Four scenarios are presented. Depending on the scenario, the largest share of power is assigned either to scientists and engineers, to political representatives, to citizens, or is not assigned to any group of social actors.

Citizens as Concerned but Knowledge-Poor Watchdogs: Attributions of Legitimacy to Social Actors in the Management of Biotechnology Issues

The concepts of participation and deliberation have been invested with strong symbolic weight in the field of science education and, more specifically, in the teaching of socio-scientific issues (SSIs). However, the teaching of socio-scientific issues has not yet emerged as the “natural” or “self-obvious” place for focusing attention on the socio-political management of socio-scientific issues. In the first section of this chapter, I outline a number of conceptual contributions originating in political philosophy, a field that has engaged in sustained reflection concerning the participation of ordinary citizens in the deliberations surrounding socio-political decision making. In the second section, I present the viewpoints of post-secondary/pre-university students (who are also training to become primary or secondary school teachers) concerning the management of socio-scientific issues. I also provide illustrations of how these students describe the roles played by various actors – citizens, industry, government, and members of the scientific community. In the third section, I identify the opportunities offered by these descriptions for redistributing legitimacy and re-examining the modalities of citizen participation in the management of socio-scientific issues.