Larry Bencze, OISE, U' Toronto

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Towards Communitarian Science Education

• Larry Bencze, OISE, U. Toronto
• Steve Alsop, York U, Toronto

IHPST 2009
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Who Owns Science?
Jonas Salk - Developer of first safe effective
vaccine for Polio

• "Shortly after a large-scale clinical trial in
  1955, the first inactivated polio vaccine was
  being injected into tens of millions of people
  around the world - possibly the most successful
  pharmaceutical product launch in history. Asked
  why he had not obtained a patent on the
  phenomenally successful vaccine, Jonas Salk
  reportedly replied, 'That would be like patenting
  the sun.' A few decades later, this view seemed
  laughably quaint."

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Business-Science Partnerships

• Communalism
• e.g., Dr. Nancy Olivieri, Hospital for Sick
  Children deferiprone, drug for thalassemia
  major Company suppressed negative results.
• Universal
• e.g., restricted access to software by companies.
• Disinterestedness
• e.g., prevent research into uncommon diseases
  (e.g., schistosomiasis) - since they are
  unprofitable.
• Originality
• e.g., Me-too drugs!
• Skepticism
• e.g., Ghost Writers!

Profit Mertons Norms
Craig Venter
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Why is this happening?!

• Global Economization
• Neoliberalism
• Neoconservatism

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How is School Science Involved?

• Neoconservativism works to preserve traditional
  forms of privilege and marginalize authentic
  democratic and social justice agendas (Carter,
  2005, p. 571).
• Competition for scarce capital
• Selection via decontextualization and
  intensification

• Overall
• Survival of the Richest!

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How is School Science Involved?
Neoliberals aim to condition students in ways
conducive to often-irresponsible for-profit
production and consumption of goods and
services.
Students conceptions of self vs. others
e.g., Possessive individualism via individualized
assessments of finished science
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How is School Science Involved?
Students conceptions of science

• Rational Real
• Privately Owned
• e.g. knowledge marks
• e.g., critical experiments
• e.g., heroes!

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How is School Science Involved?
Students lack of capital

• De-skilled
• Confused
• Isolated
• Homogenized

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Towards Communitarian Science Education

• Equity Diversity
• Holism Breadth
• Empowerment Depth
• Critical Literacy
• Self-determination
• Responsibility

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STEPWISE In Action
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Thanks!

• The paper is at
• http//fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/lbencze/IHPST2009_Be
  ncze-Alsop.pdf
• You can write to me at
• larry.bencze_at_utoronto.ca
• The Project for Activist Science Technology
  Education (PASTE) (with the journal, JASTE, is
  at
• http//www.wepaste.org