The urgent need for microbiology literacy in society: children as educators

Abstract

Summary Microbes and their activities have pervasive influence and deterministic roles in the functioning and health of the geosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, i.e. in nature. Microbiology can be considered a language of nature . We have argued that the relevance of microbes for everyday personal decisions and collective policies requires that society attains microbiology literacy, through the introduction of child‐relevant microbiology topics into school curricula. That is: children should learn the microbiology language of nature . Children can be effective transmitters of new and/or rapidly evolving knowledge within families and beyond, where there is a substantive information asymmetry (witness digital technology, social media, and new languages in foreign countries). They can thus be key disseminators of microbiology knowledge, where there will be information asymmetry for the foreseeable future, and thereby contribute to the attainment of microbiology literacy in society. The education of family and friends can be encouraged/stimulated by home assignments, family leisure projects, and school‐organised microbiology‐centric social‐education events. Children are key stakeholders in family decisions. Their microbiology knowledge, and their dissemination of it, can help inform and increase the objectivity of such decisions.

A Road to Microbiology Literacy (and More): an Opportunity for a Paradigm Change in Teaching

“…As also can be seen from the Strike for Climate movement, they enjoy interacting with others, especially via social media, and participating in international activities, interactions that can amplify their enthusiasm and motivation. To engage and stimulate this enthusiasm for group activities, the IMiLI is developing family-friendly network projects and international citizen science projects ( 15 ).…”

“…Another aspect of empowerment of children is their ability to act themselves as educators ( 15 ), as agents of knowledge transmission among family members and friends and peer networks. The pupil or student centricity of the curriculum, the portrait galleries that expose fascinating personalities of microbes, and the family projects being designed will all stimulate the natural tendency of children to transmit their newly acquired microbiology knowledge and feeling of empowerment.…”

El alumnado de educación infantil ya sabe lo que es un virus

“…Microorganismo es un término científico que incluye grupos taxonómicos muy diferentes: protozoarios, hongos, bacterias, arqueas, algas y virus. Más allá de la controversia de si los virus son o no son seres vivos, en general, son considerados microorganismos (Timmis et al, 2019;Simard, 2021). El conocimiento de esta terminología más precisa y su significado constituyen un primer paso en el proceso de alfabetización científica en este ámbito que supera la denominación de germen, más imprecisa y ligada a la enfermedad, empleada en estudios más antiguos (Nagy, 1953;Kalish, 1996;Jones y Rua, 2006).…”

“…Recientemente, desde las sociedades científicas internacionales, se ha reclamado su inclusión en los currículos escolares desde educación infantil hasta la educación secundaria, dada la relevancia social de los conocimientos sobre microbiología tanto en el ámbito sanitario, para un uso adecuado de los antibióticos y ante el grave peligro de la no vacunación, como por su prevalencia y relevancia en los ecosistemas y en muchos procesos industriales(Timmis et al, 2019). Es la primera cuestión, la higiénico-sanitaria, la que más iniciativas previas ha tenido en la generación de materiales escolares.…”

Youth as Climate Change Messengers: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

“…Through the program, the children's awareness of climate change increased, and they subsequently shared their newly acquired knowledge with their families and communities. Timmis et al (2020) also demonstrated the importance of children in the communication of science within families. More specifically, they found that children can impact parental decisions and work against misinformation in their families.…”