With the tremendous amount of information available to us today, the ability to discern what’s reliable from what’s not is crucial to combating the spread of misinformation. In 2023, we sat down with Jonathan Osborne, an expert in science education to talk about the tools our students (and really all of us!) need to critically evaluate science news and information. We hope you’ll tune into this episode again to hear about the three valuable skills Osborne says we should be teaching our students so they can debunk scientific misinformation.

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Episode Reference Links:

• Stanford Profile: Jonathan Osborne

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• Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces Jonathan Osborne, a professor of education at Stanford University.

(00:01:50) State of Science Education

Current education's failure to prepare students for misinformation.

(00:03:46) Internet-Age Challenges

Why younger generations struggle with evaluating credibility online.

(00:05:07) Tools for Evaluating Claims

Three key questions to assess scientific credibility.

(00:08:10) Teaching Credibility

Using interactive challenges to teach critical thinking.

(00:10:46) Attitudes Toward Science

Flaws in the way science education is currently taught to youth.

(00:14:28) Barriers to Reform

Resistance to curriculum changes and systemic challenges.

(00:19:02) Scientific Argumentation

The importance of teaching reasoning behind scientific discoveries.

(00:24:03) Modes of Scientific Argumentation

Deductive, abductive, and inductive reasoning as key scientific methods.

(00:25:45) Inspiring Curiosity in Science

Framing science as imaginative, evidence-backed ideas to engage students.

(00:28:06) Adapting Science Standards

The need for flexible standards to address evolving education challenges.

(00:29:57) Conclusion

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon

Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook