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Re: [Phys-l] Richard Dawkins Answers Reddit Questions




On Nov 19, 2010, at 11:34 AM, John Clement wrote:


On our part we need to teach students in such a way that they understand
where our ideas come from, and that these ideas are not absolute truth, but
provisional models.

Ah, there lies the *rub*... (I always wanted to say that! ;-). Students have been taught elsewhere the definition of *theory* and the word *law* in an entirely different context than the way we use them as science teachers and scientists. As in, "but evolution is only a theory." or that "gravity is a *law* but evolution is only a *theory*". Using these ideas as provisional models is a good statement, but we must spend a lot of time with examples and find a way to get this across after all the years of being taught the wrong use of definitions and concepts, and the wrong context of these rather loaded words in everyday language. If we don't do a good job with this the students will exit our classes as confused or more confused than when they entered.

Marty



That would help students greatly, and at the same time
help defuse the anti-science rhetoric.