Minkang Kim | The University of Sydney (original) (raw)
Papers by Minkang Kim
Educational Philosophy and Theory, 2024
Cognitive load theory (CLT), a construct of instructional psychologist John Sweller, has long bee... more Cognitive load theory (CLT), a construct of instructional psychologist John Sweller, has long been a mainstay of educational psychology and university educational technology courses, regionally and internationally. Although aspects of this cognitivist theory have been severely criticised, including its insistence on direct instruction in opposition to inquiry-based pedagogies, a comprehensive philosophical, neurobiological, and education critique has been missing. This paper fills the gap, by subjecting the main theoretical and pedagogical claims of CLT to close and searching scrutiny, in part, utilising a newly emerging synthesis of philosophy and cognitive brain science, appropriately known as Cognitive Philosophy. The paper pushes past CLT, with its emphasis on the transient nature of working memory and core notion of cognitive ‘load’, to propose an account of the learning brain that is predictive (not reactive), embodied, neuronally plastic, non-linear, dynamically self-organising, and inherently emotional. This alternative account immediately problematises Sweller’s understanding of working memory and his account of language learning, based on Geary’s questionable epistemological claims, while keeping the practical needs of teachers and teacher educators firmly in view. Armed with this alternative, teachers can move beyond the theoretical and pedagogical constraints of CLT, including trying to mitigate a putative ‘load’ in working memory.
Springer international handbooks of education, Dec 31, 2022
본 연구는 웹 기반 수업 개발을 위한 ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’의 세부적인 단계와 단계간의 연관성을 규명함과 동시에 이 방법론의 효과성과 개선 방향을 탐... more 본 연구는 웹 기반 수업 개발을 위한 ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’의 세부적인 단계와 단계간의 연관성을 규명함과 동시에 이 방법론의 효과성과 개선 방향을 탐색하기 위하여 수행되었다. 전통적인 ISD의 순차적 개발 과정에 따른 문제점을 극복하는 한 가지 대안으로 제시된 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론은 웹 기반 수업 개발 과정에도 적용될 수 있지만, 아직까지 종이를 활용하는 인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론의 세부 단계를 보여주는 연구는 시도되지 않았다. 본 연구에서는 ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’을 활용하여 ‘임상치의학’ 웹 기반 수업을 개발하면서 하위 절차들을 확인하였다. ‘임상치의학’ 강좌에 대한 학습자 및 의뢰인의 반응을 설문지와 면담을 통하여 수집 분석함으로써 방법론의 효과성과 개선 방향을 도출하였다. ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’은 대체로 분석, 설계, 프로토타입의 개발과 평가, 개발, 실행 및 평가 단계를 포함하고 있으며, 분석 단계에서 이루어지는 자료 수집 및 과제분석 활동이 이 후 설계와 프로토타입 개발 과정에도 동시적으로 나타나는 특징을 대표적으로 보여주었다. 만족도 검사 에서 학습자들은 대체로 긍정적인 반응을 나타냈는데, 이는 래피드 프로토타입 개발 과정에서 학습자의 참여 및 의견 개진이 충분히 이루어진 것으로 볼 수 있다. 마지막으로 ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’의 개선 사항으로 다음의 세 가지를 지적할 수 있다. 첫째, 프로토타입의 완성도를 낮추면서 보다 신속하게 사용성 검사를 하여야 한다. 둘째, 래피드 프로토타입 개발 과정에서 사용자의 역할과 책임을 초기에 분명하게 전달하여야 한다. 마지막으로, 래피드 프로토타입 개발 검사에 따른 사용자의 반응을 종합하고 반영 여부를 결정하기 위한 기준의 사전 설정이 필요하다.
Second International Research Handbook on Values Education and Student Wellbeing , 2023
Despite much evidence to the contrary, there remains a strong body of opinion within education th... more Despite much evidence to the contrary, there remains a strong body of opinion within education that moral values are a social construct, that moral decisionmaking is largely a product of deliberate, conscious reasoning, and language is the main medium of moral reasoning. Against a backdrop of recent "social justice" theory that eschews science, this chapter calls for a reappraisal of moral values and adopts a scientific evidence-based approach in claiming that much moral decision-making occurs below the level of conscious awareness and is prior to conscious deliberation. In particular, the author's own electroencephalogram (EEG) findings and those of other researchers show that the brain's response to a moral dilemma normally occurs within 200-300 milliseconds, well before conscious reasoning kicks in. This chapter also presents scientific empirical evidence supporting the notion of a brain that is essentially predictive and that embrained, embodied moral values subconsciously initiate our moral responses. Furthermore, experimental and intervention studies with young children, using EEG, provide evidence that persistent, active, and long-term engagement in value practices can reshape and modify the brain's evaluation processes, both
Review(s) of: Handbook of moral motivation: Theories, models, applications, by Heinrichs, K., Ose... more Review(s) of: Handbook of moral motivation: Theories, models, applications, by Heinrichs, K., Oser, F. and Lovat, T. Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Sense Publishers, 2013, 668pp., $48.60 (paperback), ISBN 978-94-6209-273-0.
All teachers need to know how children and adolescents learn and develop. Traditionally, this kno... more All teachers need to know how children and adolescents learn and develop. Traditionally, this knowledge had been informed by a mix of speculative and scientific theory. However, in the past three decades there has been substantial growth in new scientific knowledge about how we learn. The Science of Learning and Development in Education provides an exciting and comprehensive introduction to this field. This innovative text introduces readers to brain science and the science of complex systems as it applies to human development. Section 1 examines the science of learning and development in the 21st century; Section 2 explores the emotional, cultural, moral and empathetic brain; and Section 3 focuses on learning, wellbeing and the ecology of learning environments. Written in an engaging style by leading experts and generously illustrated with colour photographs and diagrams, The Science of Learning and Development in Education is an essential resource for pre-service teachers.
Routledge International Handbook of Schools and Schooling in Asia, 2018
One means by which humans maintain social cooperation is through intervention in third-party tran... more One means by which humans maintain social cooperation is through intervention in third-party transgressions, a behaviour observable from the early years of development. While it has been argued that preschool age children's intervention behaviour is driven by normative understandings, there is scepticism regarding this claim. There is also little consensus regarding the underlying mechanisms and motives that initially drive intervention behaviours in preschool children. To elucidate the neural computations of moral norm violation associated with young children's intervention into third-party transgression, forty-seven preschoolers (average age 53.92 months) participated in a study comprising of electroencephalographic (EEG) measurements, a live interaction experiment, and a parent survey about moral values. This study provides data indicating that early implicit evaluations, rather than late deliberative processes, are implicated in a child's spontaneous intervention into third-party harm. Moreover, our findings suggest that parents' values about justice influence their children's early neural responses to third-party harm and their overt costly intervention behaviour.
Is 'development' a concept that properly belongs to mind and morality and, if it does, what accou... more Is 'development' a concept that properly belongs to mind and morality and, if it does, what account can we give of moral development now that Piagetian and Kohlbergian models are increasingly being abandoned in developmental psychology? In addressing this central issue, it is hoped that the paper will contribute to the quest for a new integrated model of moral functioning, called for in the September 2008 Special Issue of the Journal of Moral Education (37[3]). Our paper argues that the notion of moral development is fully justified, though it does not occur via invariant stages. Rather, each child is an emergent self-organising organism in which development is highly variable, dynamic and often non-linear. By viewing each child as a self-organising being and adopting the notion that moral development is dynamic and emergent from the predilection to value, the paper points towards a new account of moral development that opens up new avenues for educational research and moral education in schools.
Ongoing research is providing new insights into the biological rudiments of empathy and its neuro... more Ongoing research is providing new insights into the biological rudiments of empathy and its neurobiological underpinnings. There is also growing awareness that tablet technology, when used educationally and ethically, can aid adolescents and young-adults' empathic learning. However, there has been little attempt globally to translate this new knowledge into the learning and teaching of empathy in early years education. This small-scale study aimed at enhancing 3-6-year-olds' empathy by designing a tablet game and evaluating its developmental impact by combining teachers' observation with pre-electroencephalogram (EEG) and post-EEG. Children in one Australian preschool, were invited to (1) attend to and perceive emotionally salient events in a story, (2) actively share the emotions of the characters identified, and (3) take others' perspectives, reasoning why a given emotion arises within the context. Repeated measures analysis of both EEG and observation data indicate that interacting with the tablet game enhanced participating preschoolers' empathic learning. There is widespread recognition by education practitioners (
Mind, Brain, and Education
Ongoing research is providing new insights into the biological rudiments of empathy and its neuro... more Ongoing research is providing new insights into the biological rudiments of empathy and its neurobiological underpinnings. There is also growing awareness that tablet technology, when used educationally and ethically, can aid adolescents and young‐adults' empathic learning. However, there has been little attempt globally to translate this new knowledge into the learning and teaching of empathy in early years education. This small‐scale study aimed at enhancing 3–6‐year‐olds' empathy by designing a tablet game and evaluating its developmental impact by combining teachers' observation with pre‐electroencephalogram (EEG) and post‐EEG. Children in one Australian preschool, were invited to (1) attend to and perceive emotionally salient events in a story, (2) actively share the emotions of the characters identified, and (3) take others' perspectives, reasoning why a given emotion arises within the context. Repeated measures analysis of both EEG and observation data indicate that interacting with the tablet game enhanced participating preschoolers' empathic learning.
Neuroscience and Education
Forward Nel Noddings Preface 1. What Can Philosophers of Education Contribute to the Conversation... more Forward Nel Noddings Preface 1. What Can Philosophers of Education Contribute to the Conversations that Connect Education and Neuroscience? Clarence W. Joldersma Part I: A Critique of Neuroscience in Educational Research and Practice 2. Out of our Minds: Hacker and Heidegger Contra Neuroscience Emma Williams and Paul Standish 3. The Attraction and Rhetoric of Neuroscience for Education and Educational Research Paul Smeyers 4. Two Cases in Neuroeducational Knowledge Transfer: Behavioral Ethics and Responsive Parenting Bruce Maxwell and Eric Racine 5. Neuroscience, Neuropragmatism, and Commercialism Deron Boyles 6. Neoliberalism and the Neuronal Self: A Critical Perspective on Neuroscience's Application to Education Clarence W. Joldersma Part II: Thinking Philosophically with Neuroscience about Education 7. Cultivating Moral Values in an Age of Neuroscience Derek Sankey and Minkang Kim 8. Naturalizing Aesthetics: Moderate Formalism and Global Education Pradeep Dhillon 9. Exploding Brains: Beyond the Spontaneous Philosophy of Brain-Based Learning Tyson Lewis 10. Beyond a Representational Model of Mind in Educational Neuroscience: Bodily Subjectivity and Dynamic Cognition Clarence W. Joldersma 11. Enactive Hermeneutics and Natural Pedagogy Shaun Gallagher 12. Some Problems with the Neuroscience Research Program Nicholas Burbules
Journal of Moral Education, 2017
The Asia-Pacific and moral education The Asia-Pacific is characterised by geopolitical and econom... more The Asia-Pacific and moral education The Asia-Pacific is characterised by geopolitical and economic heterogeneity, ethnic, linguistic and religious pluralism. Geographically, it covers a huge area, commonly interpreted as around the Pacific Ocean and including East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. It comprises vast, wild, interior landscapes and small island archipelagos, often subject to natural disasters. Its peoples are connected by old trading routes and contemporary migrations in search of economic betterment. They may live in some of the most populous cities on earth, or in tiny, remote villages. Culturally, the region has ancient histories, yet is newly developing, with Western socio-cultural influences on its own distinctive, indigenous and deeply-rooted values and traditions. Religion may play a central, institutionalised role, be an implicit, underlying ethos and structure, or, if seen as challenging to political ideology, may be persecuted. Many nation states are post-colonial or relatively recently created, as a result of wars or disputes; contested boundaries contribute to ongoing regional tensions. Politically, systems range from one-party states to emerging and fully-fledged democracies in various forms. Economically, the region is developing rapidly, vibrantly and competitively, drawing on massive natural and human resources, and taking full advantage of modern and post-modern technologies to forge new industries, and infrastructures for communities and cities, with improved communications within and between countries of the region and globally. The twenty-first century has been widely predicted to belong to the Asia-Pacific. So it is fitting that JME readers are offered this access to some contemporary academic work in moral education in the Asia-Pacific region. Moral education in this diverse region both reflects and seeks to influence this human, cultural and ideological diversity, taking account of individual, family, national and political aspirations, amidst the challenges of accelerating regional and global change. Each education system, those who devise and administer its policies and institutions, and those who engage in practices of teaching and learning, have to confront and manage controversial sociocultural issues in the development of societies and the participation of citizens. Some countries of the Asia-Pacific, especially those in East Asia, have long traditions of moral education in formal and informal learning, and continue to accord considerable weight and importance to it in the educational structures, curricula and practices of schools and colleges. From the early 1970s, due to historical, cultural and linguistic links, JME published articles from Australasia, and, towards the end of that decade, articles written by scholars in East Asia-initially from Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore-were included in almost every volume. It was not until 1990 that an article from China, which explicitly recognised that 'moral education in China is the weapon of ideological-political indoctrination' (Li, 1990, p. 170) was included. Over the years, connections with scholars-especially in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan-were established, which led to close cooperation and in-depth work resulting in the seminal JME special issue 'Moral Education in Changing Chinese Societies' (Li, Taylor, & Yang, 2004; see pp. 406-409). Since then, in a rapidly developing economic region, there have inevitably been changes to the socio-cultural contexts, educational curricula, pedagogy, and ideological perspectives on the
Journal of Moral Education, 2014
Prejudice against another nation or culture is often perceived as a major hindrance to world peac... more Prejudice against another nation or culture is often perceived as a major hindrance to world peace. This paper will report on the early emergence of such prejudices, identified in eight-year-old primary school children in Korea. The research, conducted in June 2012, investigated Korean children’s reactions to the Japanese tsunami of 2011. A pedagogically embedded research methodology (PERM) was used, where the research initiative was embedded within the teaching and learning of a normal school lesson. The research reveals that young Korean children’s prejudices are nationally and culturally deep-seated, and are reinforced by parochial viewpoints projected by Korean mass media programmes. These influences place constraints on children’s ability to empathise with people beyond their national borders. Nevertheless, the project provides evidence that prejudicial attitudes remain malleable in children and can be changed in a challenging but supportive educational context.
European Journal of Dental Education, 2012
Although problem-based learning (PBL) was introduced into dental education some 20 years ago, the... more Although problem-based learning (PBL) was introduced into dental education some 20 years ago, there have been relatively few well-designed studies carried out to clarify whether, how or why it works in a dental context. This paper introduces the Dynamic Systems (Complexity) theory as a new and potentially productive theoretical framework for researching PBL in dental education. This framework emphasises the importance of emergent self-organisation, perception and brain plasticity in learning. In this paper, a brief overview of the history of PBL in dentistry is presented and then the fundamentals of a Dynamic Systems Approach (DSA) are explained, drawing on two recently published papers advocating the DSA in medical education and teacher education. We focus on three key points related to this new approach: emergent self-organisation rather than simple construction of knowledge; the notion that perception drives the learning process; and the brain as the substrate of all learning. The paper also suggests how the DSA can help us move forward, both in terms of the future application of PBL in dental education and also in relation to posing new types of research questions.
Educational Philosophy and Theory
Abstract Hitherto, the contribution of philosophers to Neuroscience and Education has tended to b... more Abstract Hitherto, the contribution of philosophers to Neuroscience and Education has tended to be less than enthusiastic, though there are some notable exceptions. Meanwhile, the pervasive influence of neuromyths on education policy, curriculum design and pedagogy in schools is well documented. Indeed, philosophers have sometimes used the prevalence of neuromyths in education to bolster their opposition to neuroscience in teacher education courses. By contrast, this article views the presence of neuromyths in education as a call for remedial action, including philosophical action. The empirical basis of this article is a survey, conducted over a period of three years, involving a total of 1144 first-year pre-service student teachers, which revealed alarming levels of belief in five common neuromyths related to children and learning. This study also attempted to probe the origins of these mistaken beliefs and why they gain traction. The findings suggest an urgent need in teacher education to address the problem of neuromyths, not simply because they are mistaken, they often misdirect valuable resources and mislabel children. The article calls for a compulsory unit on neuroscience and education in all courses of teacher education. Moreover, teaching neuroscience in education cannot be left to specialist neuroscientists, philosophers must be involved.
Abstract: Teachers are expected to act ethically and provide moral role models in performing thei... more Abstract: Teachers are expected to act ethically and provide moral role models in performing their duties, even though teacher education has often relegated the cultivation of teachers ’ ethical awareness and moral development to the margins. When it is addressed, the main theoretical assumptions have relied heavily on the cognitivist developmental theories of Piaget and Kohlberg. A major pedagogical problem in adopting these theories of moral reasoning is that they may not help teachers to act as moral agents in real-life classrooms. This paper argues that one underlying difficulty is the insufficient attention given to the role of emotion in moral reasoning, even though it is increasingly accepted that rationality is laced with emotions and, moreover, emotions are crucial in brain functioning. This paper presents recent empirical findings, viewing them through the lens of dynamic systems theory, and discusses how they may help to inform and strengthen the cultivation of teachers ’...
Educational Philosophy and Theory, 2024
Cognitive load theory (CLT), a construct of instructional psychologist John Sweller, has long bee... more Cognitive load theory (CLT), a construct of instructional psychologist John Sweller, has long been a mainstay of educational psychology and university educational technology courses, regionally and internationally. Although aspects of this cognitivist theory have been severely criticised, including its insistence on direct instruction in opposition to inquiry-based pedagogies, a comprehensive philosophical, neurobiological, and education critique has been missing. This paper fills the gap, by subjecting the main theoretical and pedagogical claims of CLT to close and searching scrutiny, in part, utilising a newly emerging synthesis of philosophy and cognitive brain science, appropriately known as Cognitive Philosophy. The paper pushes past CLT, with its emphasis on the transient nature of working memory and core notion of cognitive ‘load’, to propose an account of the learning brain that is predictive (not reactive), embodied, neuronally plastic, non-linear, dynamically self-organising, and inherently emotional. This alternative account immediately problematises Sweller’s understanding of working memory and his account of language learning, based on Geary’s questionable epistemological claims, while keeping the practical needs of teachers and teacher educators firmly in view. Armed with this alternative, teachers can move beyond the theoretical and pedagogical constraints of CLT, including trying to mitigate a putative ‘load’ in working memory.
Springer international handbooks of education, Dec 31, 2022
본 연구는 웹 기반 수업 개발을 위한 ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’의 세부적인 단계와 단계간의 연관성을 규명함과 동시에 이 방법론의 효과성과 개선 방향을 탐... more 본 연구는 웹 기반 수업 개발을 위한 ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’의 세부적인 단계와 단계간의 연관성을 규명함과 동시에 이 방법론의 효과성과 개선 방향을 탐색하기 위하여 수행되었다. 전통적인 ISD의 순차적 개발 과정에 따른 문제점을 극복하는 한 가지 대안으로 제시된 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론은 웹 기반 수업 개발 과정에도 적용될 수 있지만, 아직까지 종이를 활용하는 인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론의 세부 단계를 보여주는 연구는 시도되지 않았다. 본 연구에서는 ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’을 활용하여 ‘임상치의학’ 웹 기반 수업을 개발하면서 하위 절차들을 확인하였다. ‘임상치의학’ 강좌에 대한 학습자 및 의뢰인의 반응을 설문지와 면담을 통하여 수집 분석함으로써 방법론의 효과성과 개선 방향을 도출하였다. ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’은 대체로 분석, 설계, 프로토타입의 개발과 평가, 개발, 실행 및 평가 단계를 포함하고 있으며, 분석 단계에서 이루어지는 자료 수집 및 과제분석 활동이 이 후 설계와 프로토타입 개발 과정에도 동시적으로 나타나는 특징을 대표적으로 보여주었다. 만족도 검사 에서 학습자들은 대체로 긍정적인 반응을 나타냈는데, 이는 래피드 프로토타입 개발 과정에서 학습자의 참여 및 의견 개진이 충분히 이루어진 것으로 볼 수 있다. 마지막으로 ‘인쇄물 기반의 래피드 프로토타입 개발 방법론’의 개선 사항으로 다음의 세 가지를 지적할 수 있다. 첫째, 프로토타입의 완성도를 낮추면서 보다 신속하게 사용성 검사를 하여야 한다. 둘째, 래피드 프로토타입 개발 과정에서 사용자의 역할과 책임을 초기에 분명하게 전달하여야 한다. 마지막으로, 래피드 프로토타입 개발 검사에 따른 사용자의 반응을 종합하고 반영 여부를 결정하기 위한 기준의 사전 설정이 필요하다.
Second International Research Handbook on Values Education and Student Wellbeing , 2023
Despite much evidence to the contrary, there remains a strong body of opinion within education th... more Despite much evidence to the contrary, there remains a strong body of opinion within education that moral values are a social construct, that moral decisionmaking is largely a product of deliberate, conscious reasoning, and language is the main medium of moral reasoning. Against a backdrop of recent "social justice" theory that eschews science, this chapter calls for a reappraisal of moral values and adopts a scientific evidence-based approach in claiming that much moral decision-making occurs below the level of conscious awareness and is prior to conscious deliberation. In particular, the author's own electroencephalogram (EEG) findings and those of other researchers show that the brain's response to a moral dilemma normally occurs within 200-300 milliseconds, well before conscious reasoning kicks in. This chapter also presents scientific empirical evidence supporting the notion of a brain that is essentially predictive and that embrained, embodied moral values subconsciously initiate our moral responses. Furthermore, experimental and intervention studies with young children, using EEG, provide evidence that persistent, active, and long-term engagement in value practices can reshape and modify the brain's evaluation processes, both
Review(s) of: Handbook of moral motivation: Theories, models, applications, by Heinrichs, K., Ose... more Review(s) of: Handbook of moral motivation: Theories, models, applications, by Heinrichs, K., Oser, F. and Lovat, T. Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Sense Publishers, 2013, 668pp., $48.60 (paperback), ISBN 978-94-6209-273-0.
All teachers need to know how children and adolescents learn and develop. Traditionally, this kno... more All teachers need to know how children and adolescents learn and develop. Traditionally, this knowledge had been informed by a mix of speculative and scientific theory. However, in the past three decades there has been substantial growth in new scientific knowledge about how we learn. The Science of Learning and Development in Education provides an exciting and comprehensive introduction to this field. This innovative text introduces readers to brain science and the science of complex systems as it applies to human development. Section 1 examines the science of learning and development in the 21st century; Section 2 explores the emotional, cultural, moral and empathetic brain; and Section 3 focuses on learning, wellbeing and the ecology of learning environments. Written in an engaging style by leading experts and generously illustrated with colour photographs and diagrams, The Science of Learning and Development in Education is an essential resource for pre-service teachers.
Routledge International Handbook of Schools and Schooling in Asia, 2018
One means by which humans maintain social cooperation is through intervention in third-party tran... more One means by which humans maintain social cooperation is through intervention in third-party transgressions, a behaviour observable from the early years of development. While it has been argued that preschool age children's intervention behaviour is driven by normative understandings, there is scepticism regarding this claim. There is also little consensus regarding the underlying mechanisms and motives that initially drive intervention behaviours in preschool children. To elucidate the neural computations of moral norm violation associated with young children's intervention into third-party transgression, forty-seven preschoolers (average age 53.92 months) participated in a study comprising of electroencephalographic (EEG) measurements, a live interaction experiment, and a parent survey about moral values. This study provides data indicating that early implicit evaluations, rather than late deliberative processes, are implicated in a child's spontaneous intervention into third-party harm. Moreover, our findings suggest that parents' values about justice influence their children's early neural responses to third-party harm and their overt costly intervention behaviour.
Is 'development' a concept that properly belongs to mind and morality and, if it does, what accou... more Is 'development' a concept that properly belongs to mind and morality and, if it does, what account can we give of moral development now that Piagetian and Kohlbergian models are increasingly being abandoned in developmental psychology? In addressing this central issue, it is hoped that the paper will contribute to the quest for a new integrated model of moral functioning, called for in the September 2008 Special Issue of the Journal of Moral Education (37[3]). Our paper argues that the notion of moral development is fully justified, though it does not occur via invariant stages. Rather, each child is an emergent self-organising organism in which development is highly variable, dynamic and often non-linear. By viewing each child as a self-organising being and adopting the notion that moral development is dynamic and emergent from the predilection to value, the paper points towards a new account of moral development that opens up new avenues for educational research and moral education in schools.
Ongoing research is providing new insights into the biological rudiments of empathy and its neuro... more Ongoing research is providing new insights into the biological rudiments of empathy and its neurobiological underpinnings. There is also growing awareness that tablet technology, when used educationally and ethically, can aid adolescents and young-adults' empathic learning. However, there has been little attempt globally to translate this new knowledge into the learning and teaching of empathy in early years education. This small-scale study aimed at enhancing 3-6-year-olds' empathy by designing a tablet game and evaluating its developmental impact by combining teachers' observation with pre-electroencephalogram (EEG) and post-EEG. Children in one Australian preschool, were invited to (1) attend to and perceive emotionally salient events in a story, (2) actively share the emotions of the characters identified, and (3) take others' perspectives, reasoning why a given emotion arises within the context. Repeated measures analysis of both EEG and observation data indicate that interacting with the tablet game enhanced participating preschoolers' empathic learning. There is widespread recognition by education practitioners (
Mind, Brain, and Education
Ongoing research is providing new insights into the biological rudiments of empathy and its neuro... more Ongoing research is providing new insights into the biological rudiments of empathy and its neurobiological underpinnings. There is also growing awareness that tablet technology, when used educationally and ethically, can aid adolescents and young‐adults' empathic learning. However, there has been little attempt globally to translate this new knowledge into the learning and teaching of empathy in early years education. This small‐scale study aimed at enhancing 3–6‐year‐olds' empathy by designing a tablet game and evaluating its developmental impact by combining teachers' observation with pre‐electroencephalogram (EEG) and post‐EEG. Children in one Australian preschool, were invited to (1) attend to and perceive emotionally salient events in a story, (2) actively share the emotions of the characters identified, and (3) take others' perspectives, reasoning why a given emotion arises within the context. Repeated measures analysis of both EEG and observation data indicate that interacting with the tablet game enhanced participating preschoolers' empathic learning.
Neuroscience and Education
Forward Nel Noddings Preface 1. What Can Philosophers of Education Contribute to the Conversation... more Forward Nel Noddings Preface 1. What Can Philosophers of Education Contribute to the Conversations that Connect Education and Neuroscience? Clarence W. Joldersma Part I: A Critique of Neuroscience in Educational Research and Practice 2. Out of our Minds: Hacker and Heidegger Contra Neuroscience Emma Williams and Paul Standish 3. The Attraction and Rhetoric of Neuroscience for Education and Educational Research Paul Smeyers 4. Two Cases in Neuroeducational Knowledge Transfer: Behavioral Ethics and Responsive Parenting Bruce Maxwell and Eric Racine 5. Neuroscience, Neuropragmatism, and Commercialism Deron Boyles 6. Neoliberalism and the Neuronal Self: A Critical Perspective on Neuroscience's Application to Education Clarence W. Joldersma Part II: Thinking Philosophically with Neuroscience about Education 7. Cultivating Moral Values in an Age of Neuroscience Derek Sankey and Minkang Kim 8. Naturalizing Aesthetics: Moderate Formalism and Global Education Pradeep Dhillon 9. Exploding Brains: Beyond the Spontaneous Philosophy of Brain-Based Learning Tyson Lewis 10. Beyond a Representational Model of Mind in Educational Neuroscience: Bodily Subjectivity and Dynamic Cognition Clarence W. Joldersma 11. Enactive Hermeneutics and Natural Pedagogy Shaun Gallagher 12. Some Problems with the Neuroscience Research Program Nicholas Burbules
Journal of Moral Education, 2017
The Asia-Pacific and moral education The Asia-Pacific is characterised by geopolitical and econom... more The Asia-Pacific and moral education The Asia-Pacific is characterised by geopolitical and economic heterogeneity, ethnic, linguistic and religious pluralism. Geographically, it covers a huge area, commonly interpreted as around the Pacific Ocean and including East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. It comprises vast, wild, interior landscapes and small island archipelagos, often subject to natural disasters. Its peoples are connected by old trading routes and contemporary migrations in search of economic betterment. They may live in some of the most populous cities on earth, or in tiny, remote villages. Culturally, the region has ancient histories, yet is newly developing, with Western socio-cultural influences on its own distinctive, indigenous and deeply-rooted values and traditions. Religion may play a central, institutionalised role, be an implicit, underlying ethos and structure, or, if seen as challenging to political ideology, may be persecuted. Many nation states are post-colonial or relatively recently created, as a result of wars or disputes; contested boundaries contribute to ongoing regional tensions. Politically, systems range from one-party states to emerging and fully-fledged democracies in various forms. Economically, the region is developing rapidly, vibrantly and competitively, drawing on massive natural and human resources, and taking full advantage of modern and post-modern technologies to forge new industries, and infrastructures for communities and cities, with improved communications within and between countries of the region and globally. The twenty-first century has been widely predicted to belong to the Asia-Pacific. So it is fitting that JME readers are offered this access to some contemporary academic work in moral education in the Asia-Pacific region. Moral education in this diverse region both reflects and seeks to influence this human, cultural and ideological diversity, taking account of individual, family, national and political aspirations, amidst the challenges of accelerating regional and global change. Each education system, those who devise and administer its policies and institutions, and those who engage in practices of teaching and learning, have to confront and manage controversial sociocultural issues in the development of societies and the participation of citizens. Some countries of the Asia-Pacific, especially those in East Asia, have long traditions of moral education in formal and informal learning, and continue to accord considerable weight and importance to it in the educational structures, curricula and practices of schools and colleges. From the early 1970s, due to historical, cultural and linguistic links, JME published articles from Australasia, and, towards the end of that decade, articles written by scholars in East Asia-initially from Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore-were included in almost every volume. It was not until 1990 that an article from China, which explicitly recognised that 'moral education in China is the weapon of ideological-political indoctrination' (Li, 1990, p. 170) was included. Over the years, connections with scholars-especially in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan-were established, which led to close cooperation and in-depth work resulting in the seminal JME special issue 'Moral Education in Changing Chinese Societies' (Li, Taylor, & Yang, 2004; see pp. 406-409). Since then, in a rapidly developing economic region, there have inevitably been changes to the socio-cultural contexts, educational curricula, pedagogy, and ideological perspectives on the
Journal of Moral Education, 2014
Prejudice against another nation or culture is often perceived as a major hindrance to world peac... more Prejudice against another nation or culture is often perceived as a major hindrance to world peace. This paper will report on the early emergence of such prejudices, identified in eight-year-old primary school children in Korea. The research, conducted in June 2012, investigated Korean children’s reactions to the Japanese tsunami of 2011. A pedagogically embedded research methodology (PERM) was used, where the research initiative was embedded within the teaching and learning of a normal school lesson. The research reveals that young Korean children’s prejudices are nationally and culturally deep-seated, and are reinforced by parochial viewpoints projected by Korean mass media programmes. These influences place constraints on children’s ability to empathise with people beyond their national borders. Nevertheless, the project provides evidence that prejudicial attitudes remain malleable in children and can be changed in a challenging but supportive educational context.
European Journal of Dental Education, 2012
Although problem-based learning (PBL) was introduced into dental education some 20 years ago, the... more Although problem-based learning (PBL) was introduced into dental education some 20 years ago, there have been relatively few well-designed studies carried out to clarify whether, how or why it works in a dental context. This paper introduces the Dynamic Systems (Complexity) theory as a new and potentially productive theoretical framework for researching PBL in dental education. This framework emphasises the importance of emergent self-organisation, perception and brain plasticity in learning. In this paper, a brief overview of the history of PBL in dentistry is presented and then the fundamentals of a Dynamic Systems Approach (DSA) are explained, drawing on two recently published papers advocating the DSA in medical education and teacher education. We focus on three key points related to this new approach: emergent self-organisation rather than simple construction of knowledge; the notion that perception drives the learning process; and the brain as the substrate of all learning. The paper also suggests how the DSA can help us move forward, both in terms of the future application of PBL in dental education and also in relation to posing new types of research questions.
Educational Philosophy and Theory
Abstract Hitherto, the contribution of philosophers to Neuroscience and Education has tended to b... more Abstract Hitherto, the contribution of philosophers to Neuroscience and Education has tended to be less than enthusiastic, though there are some notable exceptions. Meanwhile, the pervasive influence of neuromyths on education policy, curriculum design and pedagogy in schools is well documented. Indeed, philosophers have sometimes used the prevalence of neuromyths in education to bolster their opposition to neuroscience in teacher education courses. By contrast, this article views the presence of neuromyths in education as a call for remedial action, including philosophical action. The empirical basis of this article is a survey, conducted over a period of three years, involving a total of 1144 first-year pre-service student teachers, which revealed alarming levels of belief in five common neuromyths related to children and learning. This study also attempted to probe the origins of these mistaken beliefs and why they gain traction. The findings suggest an urgent need in teacher education to address the problem of neuromyths, not simply because they are mistaken, they often misdirect valuable resources and mislabel children. The article calls for a compulsory unit on neuroscience and education in all courses of teacher education. Moreover, teaching neuroscience in education cannot be left to specialist neuroscientists, philosophers must be involved.
Abstract: Teachers are expected to act ethically and provide moral role models in performing thei... more Abstract: Teachers are expected to act ethically and provide moral role models in performing their duties, even though teacher education has often relegated the cultivation of teachers ’ ethical awareness and moral development to the margins. When it is addressed, the main theoretical assumptions have relied heavily on the cognitivist developmental theories of Piaget and Kohlberg. A major pedagogical problem in adopting these theories of moral reasoning is that they may not help teachers to act as moral agents in real-life classrooms. This paper argues that one underlying difficulty is the insufficient attention given to the role of emotion in moral reasoning, even though it is increasingly accepted that rationality is laced with emotions and, moreover, emotions are crucial in brain functioning. This paper presents recent empirical findings, viewing them through the lens of dynamic systems theory, and discusses how they may help to inform and strengthen the cultivation of teachers ’...
This volume makes a philosophical contribution to the application of neuroscience in education. I... more This volume makes a philosophical contribution to the application of neuroscience in education. It frames neuroscience research in novel ways around educational conceptualizing and practices, while also taking a critical look at conceptual problems in neuroeducation and at the economic reasons driving the mind-brain education movement. It offers alternative approaches for situating neuroscience in educational research and practice, including non-reductionist models drawing from Dewey and phenomenological philosophers such as Martin Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty.
The volume gathers together an international bevy of leading philosophers of education who are in a unique position to contribute conceptually rich and theoretically framed insight on these new developments. The essays form an emerging dialogue to be used within philosophy of education as well as neuroeducation, educational psychology, teacher education and curriculum studies.
