Scopes Weeps: Evolution Still Struggling in Public Schools - Polidicks

[quote] [img]http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/01/Scopes_trial.jpg[/img] Despite 80 years of court battles ousting creationism from public classrooms, most public high school biology teachers are not strong advocates for evolution. While vocal advocates of intelligent design and similar non-scientific alternatives to evolution are a minority, more than half the teachers in a nationwide poll avoided taking a strong stance for evolution. Such teachers “may play a far more important role in hindering scientific literacy in the United States than the smaller number of explicit creationists,” wrote Penn State political scientists Michael Berkman and Eric Plutzer, the poll’s architects, in a Jan. 28 Science paper. Berkman and Plutzer, the authors of Evolution, Creationism and the Battle to Control America’s Classrooms, examined data from the National Survey of High School Biology Teachers, a representative sample of 926 biology teachers from across the country. They estimate that only 28 percent of those teachers consistently and “unabashedly” introduce evidence that evolution has happened, and build lesson plans with evolution as a unifying theme linking different topics in biology. At the opposite extreme, 13 percent of teachers explicitly endorse creationism or intelligent design, and spend at least on hour of class time presenting it in a positive light. An additional 5 percent reported that they support creationism in passing or when answering students’ questions. The remaining fraction of teachers, who Berkman and Plutzer dub the “cautious 60 percent,” avoids choosing sides. Often these teachers have not taken courses in evolutionary biology and lack confidence in their ability to answer questions from skeptical or hostile students and parents. There are three popular strategies for evading controversy in the biology classroom, Berkman and Plutzer say. Some teachers focus on evolution at the molecular level, ignoring the idea that whole species of animals can evolve. Some hide behind rigid state science tests, telling students “it does not matter if they actually ‘believe’ in evolution, so long as they know it for the test,” Berkman and Plutzer wrote. Others present both sides and let students decide for themselves. This strategy respects high schoolers’ critical reasoning skills, but undervalues the scientific method. “These teachers fail to explain the nature of scientific inquiry, undermine the authority of established experts, and legitimize creationist arguments, even if unintentionally,” Berkman and Plutzer wrote. The researchers offer one major solution: Focus on teacher training. Teachers who have had a course in evolution are statistically far more likely to advocate for evolution in their classrooms. Making such a course mandatory for all incoming teachers could make those teachers more likely to accept and teach evolution. An evolution requirement could have the spinoff benefit of driving out the avowed creationists, the researchers write. “Programs directed at preservice teachers can therefore both reduce the number of evolution deniers in the nation’s classrooms, [and] increase the number who would gladly accept help in teaching evolution,” they wrote. “Combined with continued successes in courtrooms and the halls of state government, this approach offers our best chance of increasing the scientific literacy of future generations.”[/quote] [url]http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/scopes-weeps/[/url]

If they're not teaching it properly they should be fired.

Wow looking back on it all I'm so happy to have had teachers throughout all my years in school who weren't fucking idiots SO HAPPY.

If you teach biology and don't believe in evolution there is something wrong.

This is so much of a harder problem to solve than explicit teaching. You don't violate Church/State by just teaching evolution poorly, but it has probably the same effect. It's a shame the state of our education system and we need higher standards for our teachers and the evolution course sounds great. It's fucked up that pretty much the most important part of all biology is all but ignored most of the time.

I'm glad I went to private school. I was able to learn about evolution.

I learned way more about evolution (and pretty much everything else) on the internet than in school

Most public schools teach evolution and don't even touch creationism. It's just a relative few that get all the attention.

I've had the luck of having good teachers throughout my school career.

I go to a private Catholic school and they teach us about evolution. Of course, the teacher probably believes in "God guided" evolution, but that's fine, as long as they aren't teaching some skeptical, creationism endorsing shit.

I never found my school's policy on evolution very problematic, but then again I don't live in some backwards-ass place like Missouri.

I'm glad we had a religious teacher(in science), whom actually believed in evolution, but sympathized both sides, and actually brought good points for both sides instead of just fighting for one or the other.

The guy one the right looks kind of like Ray's dad from "Everybody Loves Raymond." [img]http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/01/Scopes_trial.jpg[/img] [img]http://content8.flixster.com/question/36/78/97/3678974_std.jpg[/img] Perhaps he is the same guy. Now on topic, I think schools should quit teaching creationism and other pseudo-sciences.

I learned about evolution in my Catholic gradeschool, why can't idiots in a public school do the same?

[QUOTE=Rubs10;27722059]I go to a private Catholic school and they teach us about evolution. Of course, the teacher probably believes in "God guided" evolution, but that's fine, as long as they aren't teaching some skeptical, creationism endorsing shit.[/QUOTE] Catholics aren't very opposed to evolution. They don't even take the bible very literally.

[QUOTE=Acesarge;27720849]If you teach biology and don't believe in evolution there is something wrong.[/QUOTE] I had a biology teacher in the 9th grade that didn't think evolution was true, and he was Mormon. Though I live in Indiana, so I'm not all that surprised.

[QUOTE=gamefreek76;27722660]Catholics aren't very opposed to evolution. They don't even take the bible very literally.[/QUOTE] Well from what I've seen, they follow it to the same extent as every other belief I've met. Christians and Catholics are practically indistinguishable to me. But the amount of religion is more concentrated in a Catholic school, from what I've seen. However, the concentration seems to mainly be contained in the Theology department and the student body.

We had a separate class "religion" dedicated to the bible, and furthering your faith and learning prayers and practices performed in mass. Science covered everything from weather and the earth's composition, to evolution and the big bang theory. The Science teacher didn't seem as religious as the rest of the faculty honestly- maybe that explains it, most students didn't give a shit about God or where we came from just sports and parties.

[QUOTE=cqbcat;27722502]The guy one the right looks kind of like Ray's dad from "Everybody Loves Raymond." [img_thumb]http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/01/Scopes_trial.jpg[/img_thumb] [img_thumb]http://content8.flixster.com/question/36/78/97/3678974_std.jpg[/img_thumb] Perhaps he is the same guy. Now on topic, I think schools should quit teaching creationism and other pseudo-sciences.[/QUOTE] It's funny because back during his presidential campaigns he looked like Major Winchester from MASH. [IMG]http://i54.tinypic.com/jqpyzs.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/9qkxlc.jpg[/IMG]

But, but... but... But evolution breaks the second law of thermodynamics! My preacher said so! And the majority of scientists are actually against it, and support intelligent design! Again, my preacher! And Fox News! Like how fire breaks the first law of thermodynamics! And snowflakes break the second! :downs:

[QUOTE=Rubs10;27722059]I go to a private Catholic school and they teach us about evolution. Of course, the teacher probably believes in "God guided" evolution, but that's fine, as long as they aren't teaching some skeptical, creationism endorsing shit.[/QUOTE] My old catholic school provided evolution only, with no cutbacks. Then again, the resident monk was a heavy smoker, and his girlfriend was pretty damn hot, so probably not the best example. [editline]29th January 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=gamefreek76;27722660]Catholics aren't very opposed to evolution. They don't even take the bible very literally.[/QUOTE] Because people living for hundreds upon hundreds of years is stupid, and the Roman Church accepted that.

[QUOTE=Xolo;27721048]I learned way more about evolution (and pretty much everything else) on the internet than in school[/QUOTE] I learned more about science from a few episodes of Cosmos then I did during my entire sixth grade year. To be honest though, none of my classmates gave a damn about science back in middle school, and I still don't think they do.

If I'm not mistaken, even Pope John Paul accepted evolution. Not to sure about the current pope though...

[QUOTE=Herb;27725556]If I'm not mistaken, even Pope John Paul accepted evolution. Not to sure about the current pope though...[/QUOTE] Popes are "infallible" so if a pope contradicts an old pope the vatican collapses into a singularity

[QUOTE=gamefreek76;27722660]Catholics aren't very opposed to evolution. They don't even take the bible very literally.[/QUOTE] And that's why I'm Catholic. The bible is more about modern interpretation then following 2,000 year old rules.

[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;27722146]I'm glad we had a religious teacher(in science), whom actually believed in evolution, but sympathized both sides, and actually brought good points for both sides instead of just fighting for one or the other.[/QUOTE] What possible good points can be drawn from a creationist argument. No really, I've pulled up a chair and have a cup of chicken soup, I'm ready for a lengthy discussion so please, inform me as to which points of a creationist argument are actually remotely worthwhile.

[QUOTE=The Aussie;27726228]And that's why I'm Catholic. The bible is more about modern interpretation then following 2,000 year old rules.[/QUOTE] There's a way of interpreting "stone disobedient kids" that isn't basically stoning children?

i thought evolution was part of the curriculum

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;27726579]There's a way of interpreting "stone disobedient kids" that isn't basically stoning children?[/QUOTE] [img]http://animalnewyork.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/medical_weed_michigan.jpg[/img]? Though I doubt they'd go for that.

[QUOTE=Mr. Scorpio;27726634][img_thumb]http://animalnewyork.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/medical_weed_michigan.jpg[/img_thumb]? Though I doubt they'd go for that.[/QUOTE] If that was the case, i'd just be the worst kid ever.