The digital revolution and the spread of generative artificial intelligence have democratized information access making complex knowledge appear “just a click away,” but they have also triggered a widespread “knowledge illusion” that threatens democratic participation and expert authority. To address this epistemic risk, educational systems must avoid curriculum overload and carefully select what is worth teaching to ensure intellectual emancipation. Taking science education as a case study, this paper investigates which“knowledge in use” best protects individuals from epistemic deprivation and what constraints govern its didactic transposition into school knowledge capable of fostering authentic critical agency. The work begins by outlining what constitutes ‘worthwhile knowledge’ to avoid the pitfalls of a ‘mile-wide, inch-deep’ curriculum. Subsequently, it draws on the PISA 2025 science framework to identify specific epistemological and pedagogical commitments. Finally, these commitments are operationalized through examples of ‘principles of procedure’ tailored for teachers within a spiral curriculum logic to foster the stabilization of enduring scientific habits of thought and action.
Bringing powerful knowledge back in. A combined process/spiral curriculum model for science education
Monica Tombolato
2026
Abstract
The digital revolution and the spread of generative artificial intelligence have democratized information access making complex knowledge appear “just a click away,” but they have also triggered a widespread “knowledge illusion” that threatens democratic participation and expert authority. To address this epistemic risk, educational systems must avoid curriculum overload and carefully select what is worth teaching to ensure intellectual emancipation. Taking science education as a case study, this paper investigates which“knowledge in use” best protects individuals from epistemic deprivation and what constraints govern its didactic transposition into school knowledge capable of fostering authentic critical agency. The work begins by outlining what constitutes ‘worthwhile knowledge’ to avoid the pitfalls of a ‘mile-wide, inch-deep’ curriculum. Subsequently, it draws on the PISA 2025 science framework to identify specific epistemological and pedagogical commitments. Finally, these commitments are operationalized through examples of ‘principles of procedure’ tailored for teachers within a spiral curriculum logic to foster the stabilization of enduring scientific habits of thought and action.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
