Geology under attack in Arkansas schools

[nancylebov]

http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=e7a0f0e1-ecfd-4fc8-bca4-b9997c912a91

Parents have been able to apply enough pressure that teachers are just referring to rocks as very old, without mentioning that embarrassing millions of years thing.

And evolution has been taken out of an Arkansas children's museum.

Randy runs professional development science education workshops for public school teachers. He’s been doing it for a while now, and he has been taking information on the teachers in his workshops via a survey. He shared some data with me.

According to his survey, about 20 percent are trying to teach evolution and think they are doing a good job; 10 percent are teaching creationism, even though during the workshop he discusses the legally shaky ground on which they stand. Another 20 percent attempt to teach something but feel they just do not understand evolution. The remaining 50 percent avoid it because of community pressure. On an e-mail to members of a list he keeps of people interested in evolution, Randy reported that the latter 50 percent do not cover evolution because they felt intimidated, saw no need to teach it, or might lose their jobs.

Link found at nikkinewsnet

Comments

[osewalrus.livejournal.com]

Does Randy feel his students represent a reasonable geographic distribution or are they focused in particular areas.

It would also be interesting to know the grade ranges taught.

For example, if I were teaching first grade, I doubt I'd teach anything as formal as "Evolution," although I assume there is some basic science unit that covers things like "the Earth is billions of years old" and "dinosaurs lived before human beings even appeared on Earth" or some such. By middle school, I'd certainly expect something more formal. But I didn't get Darwin, the Beagle, etc. until 9th Grade general science.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

The political situation is bad, but I'm also chilled by the %20 of teachers in professional science teaching development classes who didn't feel they understood evolution well enough to teach it. How did they graduate from college without getting that? If there are that many, how many do you think don't understand evolution and don't know it?

I've heard that a good answer to creationists who want to "teach the controversy" is to say that the arguements over whether Jesus was the Christ should also be taught.

I've got some fondness for the idea of teaching that adults don't agree about everything, but perhaps it should be a separate class.

[osewalrus.livejournal.com]

I don't mind "teaching the controversy," in political science class. It is an excellent example of how an interest group adapts its message and tools to push a goal that, if presented directly, is anathema to the majority of the population (as evidenced by the good people of Dover, PA).

I do agree that not feeling educated enough about evolution to teach it is problematic. Don't they have teacher's guides? What makes evolution more or less complicated than other areas of bio or geology?

[ckd]

Or "teach the controversy" in places where abstinence-only sex ed is mandated....

[madfilkentist]

The explanation that had been given to Bob by his supervisors was that their science facility is in a delicate position and must avoid irritating some religious fundamentalists who may have their fingers on the purse strings of various school districts. Apparently his supervisors feared that teachers or parents might be offended if Bob taught their children about the age of rocks and that it would result in another school district pulling out of their program.

This is an excellent illustration of why I believe in separation of school and state.

[anniemal.livejournal.com]

Not foment righteous indignation here, yes, just that--But maybe it's time to let the southerners and their states leave the Union? Don't know, but maybe Islam has better grounding for them. Just an idea

Then we could do the Civil War all over again. Only with religion this tahm. Whee...

This is a meer fantasy. You will not remember it when you wake up

I have no idea how life began

I can watch evolution

Arkansas may secede from knowledge, but understanding goes on bigger all around.