Biography Melanie Trecek-KingMelanie Trecek-King is an Associate Professor of Biology at Massasoit Community College. There she teaches a general-education science course designed to equip students with empowering critical thinking, information literacy, and science literacy skills. Melanie Trecek-King has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry and a Master of Arts in Ecology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Currently, she is also the Education Director for the Mental Immunity Project and part of the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative. These initiatives aim to advance and apply the science of cognitive immunology to foster mental immunity against misinformation. In the past years she has created a wonderful website on critical thinking https://thinkingispower.com/ where she shares regularly insights and educational materials such as infographics, videos or lessons plans.Short Summary of the InterviewIn this episode, Dr. Stefan T. Siegel interviews Melanie Trecek-King, Associate Professor of Biology at Massasoit Community College and Education Director for the Mental Immunity Project. Trecek-King shares insights on fostering critical thinking, combating misinformation, and addressing myths in sustainability education.Key topics include:Defining Core Terms: Differentiating beliefs, misinformation, myths, and pseudoscience to establish clarity in educational discourse.Critical Thinking and Mental Immunity: Trecek-King discusses her broader definition of critical thinking as a combination of dispositions and skills, aligning it with the concept of mental immunity, which uses an analogy of cognitive defenses to combat misinformation.Myths in Sustainability Education: Common misconceptions such as “sustainability is only about saving the environment” are addressed. Inoculation Techniques: Trecek-King advocates for active and experiential inoculation exercises to help students identify and resist misinformation. Examples include creating misinformation to understand techniques like cherry-picking or logical fallacies.Addressing Core Beliefs and Values: The conversation highlights how the (perceived) restriction of autonomy or solution aversion can drive resistance to sustainability efforts and how educators can align to the values and (core) beliefs of learners to foster understanding and action.Effective Educational Practices: Trecek-King uses diverse media formats and humor to engage students while making critical thinking approachable and relatable.The episode concludes with practical strategies for addressing misconceptions, fostering intellectual humility, and equipping students to navigate complex sustainability challenges critically and independently.(Selected) References, Resources, and Persons Mentioned During the EpisodeThinking is Power: http://thinkingispower.com/Mental Immunity Project: https://mentalimmunityproject.org/Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative: https://cognitiveimmunology.net/about-circeBurls, N., Pegion, K., & Cook, J. (2019). Misconception-Based Learning To Cement Learning. Innovations in Teaching & Learning...
Erschienen: 05.12.2024
Dauer: 01:14:07
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Episode 6 - Melanie Trecek-King"
Biography John CookJohn Cook is a Senior Research Fellow at the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change at the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. He holds a PhD from the University of Western Australia, where he studied the cognitive psychology of climate science denial. In the past he has also worked in web programming and graphic design. John's current research focuses on understanding and countering misinformation related to scientific issues such as climate change and vaccination. He has authored and co-authored numerous international publications in prestigious journals and has received several awards and prizes for his contributions to science communication. In 2007, John founded Skeptical Science, a website that received the 2011 Australia Museum Eureka Prize for Advancing Climate Change Knowledge. He also created the Cranky Uncle game, which uses cartoons and gamification to enhance critical thinking and resilience against misinformation. He currently works with organizations like Facebook, NASA, and UNICEF to develop evidence-based responses to misinformation. Short Summary of the InterviewIn this episode of the Sustainability Education Podcast, John Cook discusses the cognitive psychology of climate science denial, emphasizing the importance of countering misinformation. He delves into various types of myths and misconceptions about climate change and sustainability education. The conversation explored the difficulties in falsifying / fact-checking sustainability education-related claims versus climate science myths. Cook notes that sustainability topics often involve less settled science, making them more challenging to fact-check compared to the well-established areas of climate science. He shares insights into educational strategies for addressing myths and misinformation, particularly through his creation of the Cranky Uncle Game, which employs humor and gamification to foster critical thinking skills. Cook advocated for integrating sustainability education into broader educational frameworks to combat misinformation effectively. He emphasized the importance of not only teaching the facts, but also debunking misinformation within educational settings to enhance learning and critical thinking.(Selected) References, Resources, and Persons Mentioned During the EpisodeDr John Cook's Profile at the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change at the University of Melbourne: https://psychologicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/melbourne-centre-for-behaviour-change#peopleSkeptical Science: https://skepticalscience.com/UQx: Making Sense of Climate Science Denial: https://www.edx.org/learn/climate-change/the-university-of-queensland-making-sense-of-climate-science-denial?index=productKozyreva, A., Lorenz-Spreen, P., Herzog, S.M. et al. Toolbox of individual-level interventions against online misinformation. Nat Hum Behav 8, 1044–1052 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01881-0Lewandowsky, S., Cook, J., Ecker, U. K. H., Albarracín, D., Amazeen, M. A., Kendeou, P., Lombardi, D., Newman, E. J., Pennycook, G., Porter, E., Rand, D. G., Reifler, J., Roozenbeek, J., Schmid, P., Seifert, C. M., Sinatra, G. M., Swire-Thompson, B., Van der Linden, S., Vraga, E. K., … Zaragoza, M. S. (2020). Debunking Handbook...
Erschienen: 15.08.2024
Dauer: 01:14:52
Biography Gale SinatraDr. Gale Sinatra is a Professor of Psychology and the Stephen H. Crocker Professor of Education at Rossier. Her areas of expertise include climate science education, evolution education, learning theory, knowledge construction, conceptual change learning, literacy acquisition, assessment, and the public understanding of science.Her recent research focuses on understanding the cognitive and motivational processes that lead to successful learning in science. Specifically, Sinatra focuses on the role of motivation and emotion in teaching and learning about controversial topics, such as biological evolution and climate change. Sinatra developed a model of conceptual change learning, which describes how motivational factors contribute to the likelihood that individuals will change their thinking about a scientific topic. Her co-authored book, _Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It,_ was published in 2021 by Oxford University Press. Sinatra received her B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Sinatra is the past Editor of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 15 journal, Educational Psychologist. She served as Vice President of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division C, Learning and Instruction and President of APA's Division 15, Educational Psychology. She is a Fellow of both APA and AERA and a Member of the National Academy of Education. https://rossier.usc.edu/faculty-research/directory/gale-sinatraShort Summary of the InterviewIn this episode of the Sustainability Education Podcast, Gale Sinatra shares her insights on combating misinformation and myths in education, particularly regarding sustainability. She clarifies the differences between misinformation, disinformation, misconceptions, and myths, highlighting the importance of understanding these terms to address the spread of false information effectively. She discusses the psychological aspects of science denial and emphasizes the significance of (healthy) skepticism. She addresses common myths about sustainability and education, pointing out that sustainability is broader than just ecological concerns and involves human interaction with nature. Dr. Sinatra criticizes the notion of doomerism and the false dichotomy between individual actions versus systemic change in combating climate change, advocating for a balanced view that recognizes the value of both. She also tackles educational myths, such as learning styles, and the importance of debunking these misconceptions through effective strategies like refutation texts and fostering an environment of intentional conceptual change. Furthermore, Dr. Sinatra highlights the societal and institutional forces that perpetuate myths and underscores the role of trust and critical engagement in overcoming misinformation. The discussion culminates in the exploration of the future of education and myth research, particularly the challenge of confronting misinformation, and offers resources for further reading on the subject.(Selected) References, Resources, and Persons Mentioned During the EpisodeGale Sinatra: Gale Sinatra | USC Rossier School of EducationCaulfield, M., & Wineburg, S. S. (2023). Verified: How to think straight, get duped less, and make better decisions about what to believe online. The University of Chicago Press.De Bruyckere, P., Kirschner, P. & & Hulshof, C. (2020). More Urban Myths About Learning and Education. Challenging Eduquacks, Extraordinary Claims, and Alternative Facts....
Erschienen: 15.06.2024
Dauer: 47:23
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Episode 2 - Gale Sinatra"
