Rethinking the Goals of Epistemic Education

• In Event: 53.029 - Epistemic Education and Learning

Abstract

Recent years have seen a surge in attempts to foster the development of learners’ epistemologies. This raises afresh questions about what the goals of epistemic education should be. We argue that existing models of lay or expert epistemologies cannot simply translate into educational goals and are insufficient for defining them. Based on a synthesis of current philosophical and empirical research, we propose that the overarching purpose of epistemic education should be to promote learners’ apt epistemic performance, defined as performance that achieves valuable epistemic aims through competence. To achieve this goal, we argue that education should attend to five key aspects that jointly enable apt epistemic performance. We explicate these aspects and address their epistemic and educational significance.

Authors

• Sarit Barzilai, University of Haifa

• Clark A. Chinn, Rutgers University