Legal Personhood: Lesson 4 English, Yr 10

Are Humans Able to Measure Animal Cognitive Capacities?

This activity follows the inquiry-based-learning model. Initially, students are introduced to the relatively new concept of high levels of cognitive capacity in other animals. They are then encouraged to investigate scientific developments dispelling the idea that humans are the only cognitively developed animals on the planet. Choosing a species of personal interest, students delve into the research around this species and their capabilities. Students publish a two-page written and visual account of their findings that forms part of a group booklet on animal capacities for use in a primary school library.

Time Allocation

Five lessons.

Voiceless Resources

Key Inquiry Questions

Whilst students will ultimately direct this inquiry, teachers could begin with the following:

  • How have attitudes towards animal cognitive capacity changed over time?
  • Do beliefs about animal capacities differ between various groups of people?
  • What is an example of cognitive capacity in one particular species? * What does this quote, often attributed to Einstein, mean: ‘Everybody is a genius. If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid?’
  • How might understanding animal cognitive capacity challenge the assumption of human superiority over animals?
  • What are the ramifications for our use of animals if we recognise them as autonomous and self-aware beings? (Refer to the Quizlet in Activity 1 to familiarise students with the vocabulary)

Suggested Learning Activities

1. PRE-TEST

Begin with a general discussion about animal cognitive capacities. Which species do we consider to be self-aware and autonomous, and why? Why do students think humans are seen as the most cognitively advanced animal on the planet?

Watch and discuss the Voiceless video Animals: Property or Persons?

In groups, read the Voiceless Fact Sheet Animals: Property or Persons?

2. EXPLORE

Professor Frans de Waal is an expert in animal cognition from Emory University in Georgia, Atlanta. His book, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? challenges the idea of human intellectual superiority and encourages us to look closely at animal cognition to gain a better understanding of our place in the world.

As a class, students watch the TED talk given by Frans de Waal, and summarise the key points in five or six dot points.

With teacher facilitation, students begin the process of inquiry into a species they would like to research where scientific developments have shown interesting findings that challenge our pre-conceived ideas on animal cognition.

3. DISCUSS

Once students have chosen their species, ask them to form groups of five. Aim to have five different species covered by each group. Students then work collaboratively to discover the ways in which new learning on animal intelligence is challenging the assumption of human superiority over animals.

4. SHARE

Each group will produce a booklet that can be laminated, bound and presented to an upper-primary school library. Each student should contribute two pages to the booklet including an eye-catching heading, their findings about their species and images to engage younger learners.

5. REFLECT

It is important that students take the time to reflect on their inquiry. Aspects they enjoyed or found challenging should be explored and suggestions about how they might approach similar tasks in the future considered. This reflection could take the form of a written piece or a conversation within the groups and with the teacher. Feedback from the primary school students on the booklets would also be invaluable for the researchers.

6. RESOURCES

On animals as persons or property: Voiceless video Animals: Property or Persons? Voiceless Fact Sheet Animals: Property or Persons?

On Inquiry Learning: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/media/1360/lutheran-education-queensland-inquiry-based-learning.pdf

On animal cognition: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/smartest-animals-according-to-science-a7545286.html

For a species-specific example of self-awareness and autonomy, see our Dolphins in Captivity APE.

To help us improve our materials, we would appreciate any work, feedback or thoughts you would like to share: education@voiceless.org.au

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Australian Curriculum alignment

Learning Area: English
Year Levels: Year 10
General Capabilities: 

  • Literacy
  • Ethical Understanding
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Information and Communication Technology Capability
Strands: 

Language – Language for Interaction

Literature – Responding to Literature / Creating Literature / Interpreting, Analysing, Evaluating

Literacy – Creating Texts
Content Descriptions:

Understand that people’s evaluations of texts are influenced by their value systems, the context and the purpose and mode of communication(ACELA1565)

Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions represented in texts (ACELT1812)

Create imaginative texts that make relevant thematic and intertextual connections with other texts (ACELT1644)

Identify and analyse implicit or explicit values, beliefs and assumptions in texts and how these are influenced by purposes and likely audiences (ACELY1752)

Create sustained texts, including texts that combine specific digital or media content, for imaginative, informative, or persuasive purposes that reflect upon challenging and complex issues (ACELY1756)

Review, edit and refine students’ own and others’ texts for control of content, organisation, sentence structure, vocabulary, and/or visual features to achieve particular purposes and effects (ACELY1757)
Elaborations: 

(ACELA1565)

  • Considering whether ethical judgments of good, bad, right or wrong are absolute or relative through consideration of texts with varying points of view and through discussion with others

(ACELT1812)

  • Identifying and analysing ethical positions on a current issue debated in blogs or online discussion forums, including values and/or principles involved and the strengths and weaknesses of the position in the context of the issue

(ACELT1644)

  • Creating texts that refer to themes or make particular connections to texts, for example writing crime fiction or romance short stories

(ACELY1752)

  • Skim reading sections of a persuasive text to identify the main contention, key arguments in linked paragraphs and supporting evidence in order to locate points for building rebuttal or counter argument

(ACELY1756)

  • Presenting a structured argument by providing a statement of the major perspectives or concerns relating to an issue; previewing the structure of arguments; structuring the text to provide a major point for each paragraph with succinct elaboration, and concluding with a summary of the main issues or recommendations in an argument

(ACELY1757)

  • Reflecting on, critiquing and refining students’ own texts prior to publishing for an authentic audience, such as uploading a movie to a website, contributing to an anthology, writing texts appropriate for the workplace, or delivering a presentation
Cross-Curricular Priority:

Sustainability

 
World Views
OI.5 – World views are formed by experiences at personal, local, national and global levels, and are linked to individual and community actions for sustainability.

Futures
O1.7 – Actions for a more sustainable future reflect values of care, respect and responsibility, and require us to explore and understand environments.
Acknowledgments

This Australian Curriculum alignment statement is based on the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) materials, which are licensed under CC BY 4.0. The material has been modified from the Australian Curriculum website (accessed April 2018).

All activities have been created by educators for educators and are linked to the Australian Curriculum (Version 8.4). We advise teachers to consult the ACARA website for the most up-to-date curriculum outcomes.

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