Re: [Phys-l] Is evolution something to believe in?

[Joseph Bellina <jbellina@saintmarys.edu>]

Perhaps the place to start is where we might be able to do something.

The content courses for pre-service teachers.  if the content courses  
modeled the sort of teaching and learning we need to see in the K-12  
classrooms, we might have a better chance at creating change.  There  
is still of course the enormous inertia that the new teacher faces in  
the existing school system.  But if they have seen how it can be  
different for their own learning, perhaps they will be more inclined  
to resist the temptation to do the delivery that so many others  
continue to do.

If your institution has a school or dept of education, find a way to  
teach the content science course for their teachers, and show them  
what can be done, but doing it with them.  If you are a K-12 teacher,  
find a way to engage the pre-service teachers to show them what can  
be done.  We have to begin somewhere.

joe

Joseph J. Bellina, Jr. Ph.D.
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556

On Apr 3, 2008, at 9:49 AM, John M Clement wrote:
> This is a very good analysis.  And pre-college teachers communicate
> this to students.  My primary example is when they teach early grade
> students they ask what makes things fall down.  Then they answer it is
> gravity.  Notice that the word now becomes the magical incantation for
> why it happens.  Gravity comes from gravitas or the tendency for base
> things to go to the center where hell is located.
>
> The only way to fix this problem, according to the research, is to use
> a studio style or inquiry course.  The research by Redish et al has
> shown that conventional lecture/problem based courses push down the
> scientific attitudes.  Examples of inquiry are Modeling, Scale up,
> Hake Socratic dialog labs, McDermott tutorials, Workshop Physics...
>  But there is also evidence that on top of this there should be some
> lecturing after thay have experienced inquiry.  The lecturing alone
> does not change paradigms.  The lecture has to come after the
> experience.
>
> For middle school and HS Thinking Science can be helpful.  Shayer &
> Adey have also been developing inquiry for first grade.  See "Learning
> Intelligence" and "Really Rasising Standards" by Shayer & Adey.
>
> As to "belief" in evolution one should properly ask if they understand
> that the overwhelming evidence from fossil and biological studies are
> consistent with the modern theory of natural selection.  But that is
> too much to ask a candidate in a short debate.  Could we require all
> candidates to take the MPEX to see if they understand the process of
> science?
>
> There are some very good published articles about trying to change
> teacher's paradigms, and it is difficult.  Many resist change with
> great resentment.  When they are confronted with the idea that math
> should be logical thinking, rather than memorization, they often
> resist this idea.  The ACEPT, Ariz. collaborative for Excellence in
> the Preparation of Teachers has some very good articles online.
> www.accept.asu.edu
>
> John M. Clement
> Houston, TX
>
> > For nearly all non scientists and I would suggest very many k - 12
> > teachers who support the idea of evolution most certainly do "believe
> > in evolution".  They simply do not know enough to do otherwise.
> > Maybe as I think about it now what they really do is believe in
> > scientists.  What we tell them must be true, after all we are
> > scientists.  We do little in school or otherwise to encourage the
> > masses to beleive based on evidence we simply ask them to beleive in
> > science.  How do we fix this problem?
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