Epistemic Insight Conference 2022: Transforming interdisciplinary learning through epistemically insightful curricula

Conference Background

Big questions about personhood and the nature of reality are intertwined with real-world problems that affect individuals, societies and global communities- such as artificial intelligence, mental and physical health the environment and space travel.

Equipping students in school, further and higher education with the insight and skills they need to ask and explore Big Questions is a recognised curriculum priority nationally and internationally. Working out where and how to embed opportunities to ask and explore Big Questions within existing or revised curriculum frameworks is driving considerable debate. So too is the challenge of how to define the learning objectives and assessment.

The EI framework provides educators, students and parents with a suite of phrases to use when talking about the role and nature of science in relation to Big Questions. This includes assessment tools that recognise students’ capacities to think critically about the nature, application and communication of knowledge within and across disciplines and to be insightful about the significance and roles of different disciplines when constructing and evaluating answers.

This conference will showcase examples from a range of contexts where EI currently informing scholarly development and practitioner research. We are also seeking researchers and professionals from education and related fields to contribute to the ongoing conversation about how EI may inform your professional context.

• • Both days of the conference are open to  all however the first day will have a greater focus on Teacher Education and HE settings (including relevance for ECT leads in school); the second day will focus on applications in schools and informal settings working with children and young people aged  7-18.

Bookings

In-person event and online booking link: https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/events/2022/06/epistemic-insight

Attendees are welcome to make hybrid bookings online/in-person across the two days.

Friday 24th June

Prof Gert Biesta, Maynooth University; University of Edinburgh

Title: Curriculum as course of study: On content, knowledge, and the purposes of education

Dr Jonathan Barnes, educate4diversity

Title: Cross-curricular Learning; Discovering Meaning in a Hostile Environment

Outline Conference Details

Registration each day is from 9:30am-10am. The conference is a mixture of keynote speakers, interactive workshops and short papers. Sessions begin at 10 am and run until 4pm each day. Lunch and refreshments are provided.

• • There is an optional ‘Teacher Exploration of Epistemic Insight’ session on 23rd June at 4pm. This interactive event will showcase a tool kit of resources to support you and your students to become epistemically insightful. This is in addition to the full conference programme and can be booked separately.
  • There is an optional informal conference dinner on the evening of Thursday 23rd June starting at 19:30. Attendees of either day are welcome