Epistemic insight means ‘knowledge about knowledge’ – and, particularly, knowledge about disciplines and how they interact.
The Epistemic Insight Initiative is developing ways to teach epistemic insight in schools, colleges and teacher education. The launch was filmed by BBC Breakfast
News, Comments and Events
Religion and Science at Schools – our contribution to the debate on the Beyond Belief Radio 4 Programme
Religion and Science at Schools – debate on the Beyond Belief Radio 4 Programme The ‘battle’ between science and religion has been going on since Darwin’s ‘The Origin of Species’. However, it has not always been the case – science was for centuries designed to...
Our Essential Experiences in Science workshop schedule for 2021 is out!
By Sherry Simpson Essential Experiences in Science is an exciting new scheme for Years 4-7 which address National Curriculum topics e.g. air resistance, friction. We have free resources and equipment to share with 30 schools. Join our free CPD sessions or become...
The launch of our discovery bags!
Written by Laura Hackett Today we launched our first set of Discovery Bags to our pilot group as part of the ‘Investigating Big Questions’ project. The aim of the bags is to encourage discussion at home about Big Questions involving science and religion, among KS2...
About Our Research
Wising up to how knowledge works
The LASAR (Learning about Science and Religion) research group conducted research to discover how students reason about Big Questions and how Big Questions are managed in schools. The research concluded that schools need to do more to help young people to understand how scholarship and knowledge work not only within their subjects but also across them.
Opportunities for Big Questions
The research discovered that secondary schools typically provide few opportunities for asking Big Questions and for exploring and talking about the distinctive approaches that different diciplines take.
Further, there is a basis to say that the impacts of entrenched compartmentalisation on students’ reasoning are largely hidden – because assessment tends to focus only on students’ progress within each subject.
Meanwhile in primary schools although cross-curricular work is more common, the focus for students is often about learning content knowledge rather than about the structure of the disciplines themselves.
Co-creating research
Canterbury Christ Church University’s research strategy includes creating a university student population who are active researchers in the fields where they aspire to work. It’s an ambition that fits very well with our own vision to develop co-created research projects that are conducted with and by our university tutors, researchers and students.
A Programme of Epistemic Insight
A programme of Epistemic Insight introduces students to scholarly ways of working such as learning about different tools for inquiry.
Teacher Education
Developing Epistemic Insight is centralised in the Teacher Education that takes place in institutions that share strategies, resources and pedagogies.
Epistemic Insight is progressive
Epistemic insight is progressive – it builds up as students move up through school, through college, through university and beyond.
The Epistemic Insight Initiative is a ‘work in progress’ and an active research area that is underway in schools and universities – in England and internationally.