Knowledge synthesis
Synthesizing not just relevant data, but also theories and perspectives from across contexts or traditions of knowledge production.
Czaczkes, T.J. (2022) Advanced cognition in ants. Myrmecological News.
Interest in the advanced cognitive abilities of insects has grown rapidly over the past decades. However, most studies have taken place on a handful of model organisms: fruit flies, honey bees, and bumblebees. Ants are in many ways ideal models for the study of cognition, offering a wide range of ecologies, often coupled with ease of training and maintenance. This review aims to collate the often disparate research on advanced cognition in ants.
Czaczkes, T.J. (2022) Advanced cognition in ants. Myrmecological News. Weiterlesen »
Rehfeldt, R. A., Tyndall, I., & Belisle, J. (2021). Music as a Cultural Inheritance System: A Contextual-Behavioral Model of Symbolism, Meaning, and the Value of Music. Behavior and Social Issues, 1-25.
Music is a pervasive cultural practice that has been present in ancient civilizations through to the present, yet its evolutionary signifcance has not been unequivocally determined. One position suggests that evolution favored music-related behaviors because such behaviors were linked to sexual selection and reproduction. A more recent perspective that is consistent with today’s evolutionary science framework suggests that music is a cultural-level adaptation because of the survival advantages it afords members of a community. This article explores the selection mechanisms responsible for the retention and transmission of music-related behaviors.
Rapid Assessment
Rapid Assessment is a methodology for conducting rapid, reliable, and valuable assessments of school or community culture.
Rapid Assessment Weiterlesen »
Scientific clarification
The clarification of scientific concepts.
Scientific clarification Weiterlesen »
Eirdosh, D., & Hanisch, S. (2019). The Role of Evolutionary Studies in Education for Sustainable Development. In: Geher, G., Wilson, D. S., Head, H., & Gallup, A. (Eds.) (2019). Darwin’s Roadmap to the Curriculum: Evolutionary Studies in Higher Education. Oxford University Press.
Exploring the potential to integrate interdicsiplinary approaches in evolutionary studies as a foundation for innovations in Education for Sustainable Development.
Hanisch, S. & Eirdosh, D. (2020). Causal mapping as a teaching tool for reflecting on causation in human evolution. Science & Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-020-00157-z
We present a teaching tool, used widely in other parts of science and science education, yet perhaps underutilized in human evolution education—the causal map—as a novel direction for driving conceptual change in the classroom about the role of organism behavior and other factors in evolutionary change. We describe the scientific and conceptual basis for using such causal maps in human evolution education, as well as theoretical considerations for implementing the causal mapping tool in human evolution classrooms.
Hanisch, S. & Eirdosh, D. (2020). Educational potential of teaching evolution as an interdisciplinary science. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 13 (25). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-020-00138-4
Evolution education continues to struggle with a range of persistent challenges spanning aspects of conceptual understanding, acceptance, and perceived relevance of evolutionary theory by students in general education. This article argues that a gene-centered conceptualization of evolution may inherently limit the degree to which these challenges can be effectively addressed, and may even precisely contribute to and exacerbate these challenges.
Hanisch, S., & Eirdosh, D. (2024). Cooperation as a causal factor in human evolution: A scientific clarification and analysis of German high school biology textbooks. Journal of Biological Education, 58(1), 64–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2021.2020875
Many evolutionary anthropologists view cooperation as core to the evolutionary success of our species. Concurrently, many sustainability scientists view cooperation as core to the future sustainable development of our species. When it comes to biology education, however, it is unclear how or if students are being engaged in these scientific perspectives. This article offers an overview of scientific perspectives regarding cooperation as a central causal factor in shaping human behaviour, cognition, and culture during human evolution. Against this background, we analysed 23 German high school biology textbooks with the aim to understand if and how cooperation is presented as a causal factor in human evolution and behaviour.