What is the problem with teaching evolution in schools What can you, as citizens with leadership, do

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What is the problem with teaching evolution in
schools?What can you, as citizens with
leadership, do about it?
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Nothing in BiologyMakes Sense Except in the
Light of Evolution

• Theodosius Dobzhansky
• The American Biology Teacher 35125-129 (March,
  1973)

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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the
Light of Evolution Teaching Evolution

• Current observations
• What resources do classroom teachers have?
• Hypothesis on how this might have happened
• What training and/or preparation do classroom
  teachers have?
• Recommendations
• Read the NRC Report Rising Above the Gathering
  Storm

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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the
Light of Evolution When is this concept taught?

• Middle School Life Science
• Introductory HS Biology
• AP and/or Introductory College Biology
• Advanced course in college
  (if a course in Evolution is offered)

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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the
Light of Evolution When is this concept taught?

• Middle School Life Science
• DC Area Textbooks
• Prentice Hall Science Explorer
• McDougal-Littell Life Science (note this is
  the only MS text that shows each concept as a
  complete sentence)

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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the
Light of Evolution When is this concept taught?

• Introductory HS Biology
• Fortunately, in the DC metropolitan region,
  textbooks have sections and even chapters on
  Evolution and Adaptation, with varying quality in
  lab learning opportunities
• Biology Dynamics of Life
• BSCS Series
• Holt Biology Visualizing Life
• Biology Exploring Life (note this is the only
  HS text that has a complete idea in each concept)

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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the
Light of Evolution When is Evolution taught?

• AP and/or Introductory College Biology
• Fewer than 6.5 of HS students take even one AP
  Course, so a very small percentage of HS students
  take AP Biology
• Advanced course in college
• If a course in Evolution is offered

http//www.geo.au.dk/besoegsservice/foredrag/evolu
tion/Billede1.png
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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the
Light of Evolution When is Evolution taught?

• Middle School Life Science
• Introductory HS Biology
• Fortunately, in the DC metropolitan region
  textbooks have sections and even chapters on
  Evolution and Adaptation, with varying quality in
  lab learning opportunities
• AP and/or Introductory College Biology
• Fewer than 6.5 of HS students take even 1 AP
  Course, so a very small percentage of HS students
  take AP Biology
• Advanced course in college
• (If a course in Evolution is offered)

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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the
Light of Evolution How is Evolution taught?

• With paper images
• With pennies and beans
• With living materials in different environments
• With tools representing a beak

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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the
Light of Evolution Why is there a problem
teaching Evolution?

• Often NO lab is done at all
• Concept is difficult to expose tangible evidence
  (student trust of how evidence is collected)
• Inquiry as described by NSES is not the inquiry
  done in most classrooms

http//www.dountoothers.org/15answers.html
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http//www.wallofthorns.com/gallery/princess_and_p
ea.html

• Issues around teaching evolution mask the real
  issue
• Bad preparation in science education

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WALT KELLY EARTH DAY 1971http//wolfbat359.com/po
litical.html

• Distinguished scientists now recognize their role

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Science is Teaching is

• Skepticism
• Goal is to falsify
• Focus on a narrow subject (called re-search)
• Thrill of discovery happens rarely

• Authority
• Goal is to make it work out
• Expose students to a wide range of topics
• COVER (ugh) the content
• Students must be engaged

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http//www.jolyon.co.uk/illustrations/vision/jpg_9
.2_Needle_in_the_Haystack.htm
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http//www.cs.wisc.edu/rajwar/base/PICS/
Scientists Knowledge Base
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http//www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6932e/X6932E05.htm
Teachers Knowledge Base
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A. Teacher PreparationB. School SupportC.
Culture/Philosophy of Science vs Teaching Science
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• Less emphasis on the WHAT of science
• More emphasis on the HOW of science

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• Teachers lack Experience with Inquiry themselves
• College course labs are generally cookbook
• Teachers are generally taught through lecture
• Teachers are generally taught by folks with
  no/little classroom experience

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• Teachers lack experience with Inquiry themselves
• College course labs are generally cookbook
• Teachers are generally taught through lecture
• Teachers are generally taught by folks with
  no/little classroom experience
• Pre-service teachers achievement is often in the
  lowest quartile
• Presentation by Grover J. (Russ) Whitehurst,
  Assistant Secretary, Educational Research and
  Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, on
  Research on Teacher Preparation and Professional
  Development at the White House Conference on
  Preparing Quality Teachers http//ies.ed.gov/direc
  tor/speeches2002/03_05/2002_03_05b.asp

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Recommendations

• Inform yourself
• Support your local school/district
• Support change in your alma mater
• Urge Congress to provide funding AND meaningful
  criteria
• Encourage the best and brightest science and
  mathematics students to become precollege
  teachers

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Recommendations

• Read
• Rising Above The Gathering Storm Energizing and
  Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future
  The Augustine Report
• http//newton.nap.edu/catalog/11463.html
• (http//www.nap.edu then searchGathering Storm)

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Recommendations

• Support your local PTA with money.
• Designate funds for science supplies and/or for
  teacher professional development, eg attendance
  at NABT or NSTA conferences
• Volunteer at your school. Discuss your career and
  your career path and the role of evolution
• Serve on curriculum/textbook review committees to
  ensure that textbooks and instructional materials
  include evolution and science

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Recommendations

• Urge your college to improve teacher preparation
• Evaluating and Improving Undergraduate Teaching
  in Science, Technology, Engineering, and
  Mathematics (NRC 2003)
• http//fermat.nap.edu/books/0309072778/html/42.htm
  l
• Help teachers to get real experience with science
  as science is done
• Americas Lab Report
• http//newton.nap.edu/catalog/11311.html

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More recommendations

• Write Congress to urge funding and meaningful
  criteria

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Our requests

• Work WITH teachers
• Understand our different environments
• Think Science teaching is a career for
  well-trained people
• Share the thrill of DOING SCIENCE

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Thank you for

• Dover PA Teachers
• Legal Community
• Supportive College Faculty
• 21st Century Career and Technical Education
• National Science Education Standards
• Business and IT Community
• Pepper Hamilton