Dawkins on “social-constructionism vs. science”

I just have to quote this passage below, because I’ve been trying so many times to refer to it, when discussing socio-constructivism vs. neo-positivism, but had been unable to find it… So, this time, I will know where to find it… on my blog 🙂

Social-constructionist ‘intellectuals,’ and perhaps even the ‘radical ism-ists’ culture warriors of The New York Times Book Review might counter that science itself is but one more ‘superstition.’ But as Sir John Krebs points out below, Dawkins won’t have any of this cultural relativism. Krebs quotes one of his favorite passages, not out of The Selfish Gene but from the book River Out of Eden:

Show me a cultural relativist at thirty thousand feet and I’ll show you a hypocrite. Airplanes are built according to scientific principles and they work. They stay aloft and they get you to a chosen destination. Airplanes built to tribal or mythological specifications such as the dummy planes of the Cargo cults in jungle clearings or the bees-waxed wings of Icarus don’t.

via Edge.org – http://www.edge.org/documents/archive/edge178.html

About me

I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Luxembourg in the field of learning and teaching sciences. My PhD thesis was in cognitive psychology, focusing on implicit learning processes. I have always been interested in the integration of ICT in education, especially the strategic use of technology in teaching. With the advent of the digital revolution, I became interested in exploring the socio-cultural changes in learning caused by the use of digital technologies.

My current research focuses on the subjective theories of learning held by teachers and how these influence their use of ICT in the classroom. I am particularly interested in identifying factors that enable or hinder the use of ICT in teaching, and how these factors can be addressed.

Throughout my career, I have worked extensively as a teacher trainer in the field of educational technologies. I have experience with various forms of active pedagogy approaches, including problem-based, project-based, and design-research approaches. My goal is to help teachers integrate technology into their teaching practice in a way that enhances student learning and engagement.