Papers by Elena Pasquinelli
Mind, Brain, and Education
Naturalizing critical thinking. Naturalizing critical thinking. Consequences for education, bluep... more Naturalizing critical thinking. Naturalizing critical thinking. Consequences for education, blueprint for future research Abstract. While very popular in public discourse about education, critical thinking education is still a work in progress. Two key conditions for successfully addressing critical thinking education are lacking: a) the availability of a clear, specific, and operational definition, and b) a deeper understanding of the natural cognitive bases of critical thinking. We therefore propose a theoretical framework for critical thinking education, grounded on a cognitive approach. Starting from a restrictive characterization of critical thinking-defined as the capacity of evaluating the epistemic quality of information, and of calibrating one's confidence in relationship to it-we identify specific mechanisms subserving critical thinking that are present in early human development. We refer to these mechanisms as the natural building blocks of critical thinking. On this naturalistic ground, effective educational strategies can be envisaged that both harness the natural building blocks of critical thinking and help overcome its shortcomings.
Hyper Article en Ligne - Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société, Jul 1, 2020
Rapport produit dans le cadre des travaux du Work Package 1 Projet EEC-Éducation à l'esprit criti... more Rapport produit dans le cadre des travaux du Work Package 1 Projet EEC-Éducation à l'esprit critique (ANR-18-CE28-0018) 3 Caractérisation du concept d'« esprit critique » (EC) : des approches existantes à une définition minimaliste et opérationnelle L'objectif principal du WP1 a consisté à fournir une caractérisation de l'EC qui permette de définir clairement (1) un besoin et (2) un objectif éducatif. Dans ce but, le groupe du WP1 a analysé la littérature concernant l'EC et ses différentes définitions. Au sein de cette littérature, le groupe a cherché à identifier les éléments à retenir pour une caractérisation opérationnelle de l'EC. Les approches actuelles s'étant révélées insatisfaisantes à plusieurs points de vue, nous nous sommes tournés vers d'autres approches, en dehors de la littérature spécifique sur l'EC, afin de remplir l'objectif principal. Naturalisation de l'esprit critique Le groupe WP1 a procédé à l'identification d'un nombre restreint de mécanismes et de fonctions cognitives impliqués dans la prise de décision, dans l'optimisation des décisions et, notamment, dans l'évaluation (critique) de l'information nécessaire à la prise de décision. Ces fonctions constituent des potentiels « building blocks » cognitifs de l'esprit critique et font donc partie d'une approche cognitive de l'EC. Ces building blocks (1) servent de base pour évaluer l'information (de première et de seconde main) et (2) permettent d'ajuster la confiance dans l'information ainsi évaluée, afin de prendre une décision. Le groupe a fourni un effort particulier pour identifier des fonctions minimalistes et pour tracer un cadre écologiquement valide pour l'EC. Cependant, cet objectif reste au niveau d'ébauche : la liste des mécanismes et des fonctions identifiés n'est pas exhaustive, leurs relations n'étant pas encore complètement spécifiées ou réunies dans un modèle.
Cognitive Flexibility, 2022
Although Critical Thinking Education is strongly encouraged, there are few controlled studies on ... more Although Critical Thinking Education is strongly encouraged, there are few controlled studies on its effectiveness, especially in the case of young children (Pasquinelli et al., 2020, 2021). Some authors are skeptical that critical thinking education can give what it promises (Willingham, 2007). Moderate optimism comes from recent meta-analyses, which find significant impact for interventions that can broadly described as "teaching to think", "teaching to read, understand, and interpret", "teaching to evaluate information" (Abrami et al., 2015; Higgins et al., 2005). Nonetheless, the quality of evidence is quite diverse, and interventions are hardly comparable because they aim at different objectives and put in place a variety of means, for various durations and intensity. In our study we provide a narrow and operational definition of critical thinking and a cognitive functional model of critical thinking. We then propose to test this model by evaluatin...
Cerveau & Psycho, 2018
La flexibilité cognitive, 2021
L’esprit critique reste un concept difficile à caractériser, souvent lié à des compétences généri... more L’esprit critique reste un concept difficile à caractériser, souvent lié à des compétences génériques. Ce chapitre identifie les mécanismes cognitifs sous-jacents, comme la vigilance épistémique et la flexibilité cognitive. Il suggère que la flexibilité fondée sur la catégorisation multiple est un ressort puissant pour ne pas dépendre du premier point de vue présenté comme vérité, et construire des alternatives.
Futuribles, 2019
EnglishIn the special dossier we are devoting in this issue to advances in research on the human ... more EnglishIn the special dossier we are devoting in this issue to advances in research on the human brain and the contribution of that research to the development of educational practices – and, more generally, our capacities for learning – this article by Elena Pasquinelli is important for providing an opportune reminder that, though that research may contribute greatly to improving educational practices, we should remain vigilant towards so-called discoveries that are, in reality, unfounded. After stressing the legitimate hopes that may be vested in this research, Pasquinelli warns us against false – or perhaps merely fashionable – beliefs in such things as “the Mozart Effect” (the idea that listening to classical music might improve our intelligence). She gives many examples of these “neuromyths”, as she calls them: widely believed theories that are not supported by any serious research. Ultimately, her article invites us to maintain a discerning stance on these matters, particularly where the links between science and teaching are concerned. francaisDans le dossier special que nous consacrons dans ce numero a l’avancee des recherches sur le cerveau humain et a leurs apports au developpement des pratiques educatives et, plus generalement, a nos capacites d’apprentissage, cet article d’Elena Pasquinelli est important. En effet, celle-ci rappelle opportunement que si ces recherches peuvent grandement contribuer a ameliorer les pratiques educatives, nous devons rester vigilants vis-a-vis de soi-disant decouvertes qui, en realite, sont sans fondement. Ainsi, apres avoir souligne les espoirs legitimes que l’on peut fonder sur ces recherches, l’auteur nous met en garde contre des croyances, sinon des effets de mode, comme « l’effet Mozart » (selon lequel ecouter de la musique classique ameliorerait notre intelligence) — ce qu’elle appelle des « neuromythes » dont elle donne plusieurs exemples —, qui ne reposent sur aucune recherche serieuse et sont neanmoins tres repandus. Finalement, son article nous invite a faire preuve de discernement, notamment dans le mariage entre science et enseignement.
Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 2018
This editorial is intended to provide a broad overview of current approaches to teaching as a cog... more This editorial is intended to provide a broad overview of current approaches to teaching as a cognitive ability, as well as a background to the articles of the present special issue. The contributions are from the fields of developmental psychology, archaeology, anthropology, comparative cognition, robotics and artificial intelligence. So broad is the range of disciplines that need to be mobilized in order to characterize and understand human teaching. 1 Aims The main goal of this introduction to this Special Issue is to suggest what basic building blocks of teaching may be. The route we chose to achieve this goal is to explore several approaches to teaching, and see how they provide insights into these basic building blocks. But before presenting these approaches, we first justify our choice to seek basic building blocks of teaching. Strauss (2018), without denying the importance of basic building blocks, claimed that a helpful way to come to better understand teaching is to attempt to determine its complexity. That complexity could serve as a map of its components that allows us to do backward engineering to get at teaching's basic building blocks. And that further enables us to reverse course to seek these building blocks' developmental trajectories, as they eventually allow us to describe human teaching's complexity and its fundamental functional units. All of that having been said, what could basic building blocks give us that is of importance? Several reasons can be offered for their significance. One is that once we
Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 2013
ABSTRACT
Perceptual Illusions, 2012
The paper discusses the idea that illusions reveal the presence of some error during a certain co... more The paper discusses the idea that illusions reveal the presence of some error during a certain course of experiences and suggests that the awareness of the presence of an error may or may not be immediate, thereby offering a sub-classification of illusory phenomena into two classes: illusions we are immediately aware of and illusions we are not immediately aware of. On the basis of these considerations it is proposed that the awareness of undergoing an illusion might play an epistemic role in the cognitive functioning by revealing the possibility of an error to the subject, without requesting that in order to realize this possibility the subject steps out from his own experience.
Children and Sustainable Development, 2016
The sciences of the mind, brain, and behavior can be powerful allies of science education. During... more The sciences of the mind, brain, and behavior can be powerful allies of science education. During the last three decades these sciences have developed rapidly, providing a progressively deeper understanding of why certain concepts and attitudes come naturally to the human mind, why other require greater effort—not because of their intrinsic difficulty, but because they conflict with our intuitions, natural knowledge. This understanding has the potential of helping educators enable the next generations to face the challenges ahead with empathy, reason, and a scientific understanding of the natural world.
Sistemi intelligenti, 2003
Lo sviluppo tecnologico legato alla realtà virtuale e alle tele-operazioni ha portato al proporsi... more Lo sviluppo tecnologico legato alla realtà virtuale e alle tele-operazioni ha portato al proporsi di un tema di riflessione che si è condensato nel concetto di Presenza: si parla infatti di essere presenti in un ambiente virtuale(Presenza virtuale), o di essere presenti ...
HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific r... more HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2015
In line with Kline's taxonomy, highlighting teaching as an array of behaviors with different ... more In line with Kline's taxonomy, highlighting teaching as an array of behaviors with different cognitive underpinnings, we advocate the expansion of a specific line of research on mind, brain, and teaching. This research program is devoted to the understanding of the neurocognitive mechanisms and the evolutionary determinants of teaching skills, with the ultimate goal of helping teachers improve teaching quality.
Philosophy of Engineering and Technology, 2012
The paper addresses the issue of education after the information revolution. Why hasn’t the 4th r... more The paper addresses the issue of education after the information revolution. Why hasn’t the 4th revolution revolutionized education (yet)? Possible reasons of the recalcitrance of education are: the lack of a solid and shared corpus of evidence on the positive and negative effects of ICT on learning, and the continuously evolving nature of digital literacy. The information revolution can thus go one of two ways: the top-down, policy or project guided way, and the bottom-up way that stems from non-educational practices that are “colonised” by educational purposes. The first way has been taken by many educational reforms, but hasn’t radically changed education. What will instruction look like when (if) the 4th revolution happens in education? The paper discusses some exemplary cases of ICT practices and their effect on the main tenets of traditional education: the role of teachers and the relationship among peers, the existence of a special space and a dedicated time for learning (separated from other places and activities), the attitude (active or passive) of the learner. These practices show that education is not a natural kind, and that we can imagine different educational paths and environments. Also, they show that the simple introduction of ICT per se does not change education: an effort at re-conceptualisation as well as the definition of clear and measurable objectives, are necessary conditions for a real change to happen.
Mind, Brain, and Education, 2011
Education is in need of reform, and the development of the sciences of mind and brain are candida... more Education is in need of reform, and the development of the sciences of mind and brain are candidates to contribute to the renovation of the way people are instructed and of the tools that mediate learning. Knowledge-and evidence-based approaches to education put forward the fact that educational systems are inadequate to provide an answer to the challenges of the 21st century and claim that education should be guided by scientific principles rather than by intuition and professional wisdom only (or, worst, by tradition). This is because sciences that are capable of shedding light into learning process have dramatically advanced during the last half-century and, still more meaningfully, during the last 20 years. The time has come for a new science of learning to rise, which is structured around cognitive and neuroscience, investigates topics that stem from educational problems, and rests on rigorous forms of in-laboratory and in-vivo evaluation. THE EMERGENCE OF THREE TRENDS IN THE EDUCATIONAL PANORAMA In 1993, John Bruer opened what has become a classic book on science-based education with a clear-cut sentence, which expresses both the need for a deep reform of education (in the United States) and offers the proposal of a direction to take, namely grounding education on how (research in cognitive sciences says) the human mind works-hence on science:
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Papers by Elena Pasquinelli