real life wrote:wandeljw wrote:real life,
Your example of the 14 year-old girl asking mild questions about evolution is denying the reality of what is actually going on. Incidents reported by science teachers all over the country involve blatant interruption of classes by hostile students mouthing creationist propaganda.
Hi wandeljw,
Well, as you know, one man's information is another man's 'propaganda'. And if they are 'mouthing' it , then that's obviously much worse than simply talking about it, isn't it?
Seriously , if a student is beyond the bounds of proper classroom behavior then disciplinary action should follow whether the discussion was evolution , George Washington, trigonometry, or metal shop.
However, we discussed previously the seminars for science teachers that focused on 'What are the main tenets of the evolutionary theory?' and 'Why is evolution important to scientific understanding?'
It sounds to me as if the teachers are not well versed in their field and are often frustrated when their lack of preparation and knowledge causes them embarrassment.
If evolution is such a well founded and easily provable theory, then a well prepared teacher should be able to blow the student out of the water.
The fact that this isn't happening, and that seminars are convened on basic foundational evolutionary nuts and bolts, indicates to me that the fault may often be with the teacher's level of knowledge or competence.
I'm sure that's what you like to think.
New Tactic In Evolution Debate
Nearly 30 years of teaching evolution in Kansas has taught Brad Williamson to expect resistance, but even this veteran of the trenches now has his work cut out for him when students raise their hands.
That's because critics of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection are equipping families with books, DVDs, and a list of "10 questions to ask your biology teacher."
The intent is to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of students as to the veracity of Darwin's theory of evolution.
The result is a climate that makes biology class tougher to teach. Some teachers say class time is now wasted on questions that are not science-based. Others say the increasingly charged atmosphere has simply forced them to work harder to find ways to skirt controversy..........
............ "The argument was always in the past the monkey-ancestor deal," says Mr. Williamson, who teaches at Olathe East High School. "Today there are many more arguments that kids bring to class, a whole fleet of arguments, and they're all drawn out of the efforts by different groups, like the intelligent design [proponents]."
It creates an uncomfortable atmosphere in the classroom, Williamson says - one that he doesn't like. "I don't want to ever be in a confrontational mode with those kids ... I find it disheartening as a teacher."
Williamson and his Kansas colleagues aren't alone. An informal survey released in April from the National Science Teachers Association found that 31 percent of the 1,050 respondents said they feel pressure to include "creationism, intelligent design, or other nonscientific alternatives to evolution in their science classroom.".....................
A troubled history
These findings confirm the experience of Gerry Wheeler, the group's executive director, who says that about half the teachers he talks to tell him they feel ideological pressure when they teach evolution.
And according to the survey, while 20 percent of the teachers say the pressure comes from parents, 22 percent say it comes primarily from students.
In this climate, science teachers say they must find new methods to defuse what has become a politically and emotionally charged atmosphere in the classroom.
But in some cases doing so also means learning to handle well-organized efforts to raise doubts about Darwin's theory..................
A job that gets harder
The path has been a rougher one for John Wachholz, a biology teacher at Salina (Kansas) High School Central.
When evolution comes up, students tune out: "They'll put their heads on their desks and pretend they don't hear a word you say."
To show he's not an enemy of faith, he sometimes tells them he's a choir member and the son of a Lutheran pastor. But resistance is nevertheless getting stronger as he prepares to retire this spring.
"
I see the same thing I saw five years ago, except now students think they're informed without having ever really read anything" on evolution or intelligent design, Mr. Wachholz says. "Because it's been discussed in the home and other places, they think they know, [and] they're more outspoken.... They'll say, 'I don't believe a word you're saying.' "
