The Role of Insight in Science Education: An Introduction to the Cognitional Theory of Bernard Lonergan

This paper describes the transcendental method of Bernard Lonergan and itsrelevance to science education in general, and to physics education in particular.Lonergan formulated a cognitional theory, based upon the self-assembling dynamicinvariant structure of human knowing, that unfolds the complex relation amongknowing, objective knowledge, and intending subjects (knowers). His heuristicmethod integrates some of the tools necessary to facilitate the learning and teachingprocess because it provides a key that can link the intending subject (student), theintended object (knowledge), and the mediating subject (the teacher). His differentiatedstructure of knowledge can be employed to investigate pedagogical questions andmodels that address how students can be encouraged to engage actively in their ownauthentic learning process.