Science Education
Category archives for Science Education
Louisiana Does The Right Thing, But Will Still Probably Screw It Up
Posted by Greg Laden on November 13, 2010 Louisiana is one of those states where really stupid stuff tends to happen, especially when it comes to evolution in the school curriculum. Recently, a state panel was in a position to chose either creationist textbooks with which to abuse the children for whom they are responsible, or good biology textbooks to educate the children…
Ira Flatow Interview: Mark Your Calendars for Sunday, October 24th …
Posted by Greg Laden on October 18, 2010 … for the truly ungodly time of 9:00 AM Central Time to listen to Air America’s “The Voice of Minnesota” Atheist Talk Radio Show on KTNF AM 950. Ira Flatow (photo) aDNA (that’s “art-DNA”) artist and sciJournalist Lynn Fellman and I will have a conversation with Ira Flatow of Talk of the Nation’s Science Friday…
UPDATED: Major Funding for Science Friday Ends; What will happen next?
Posted by Greg Laden on October 6, 2010 It is hard to imagine a world without science Friday. But it is easy to image a world in which our collective respect for the National Science Foundation, who is pulling their funding for the program, is seriously compromised. Also, it is easy to imagine a world in which we do NOT renew our memberships…
Happy Anniversary The Mouse that Roared
Posted by Greg Laden on October 4, 2010 I always assumed that “The Mouse that Roared” was a not too subtle reference to Sputnik I, which was launched on this date in 1957. The satellite was the first human made machine to orbit the planet, and it was launched by the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. In some ways,…
National Science Education Standards
Posted by Greg Laden on September 29, 2010 We haz ‘em (9 megabyte PDF download from the National Academies of Science)
The Vigil After Dover: Part 3
Posted by Greg Laden on September 21, 2010 Teachers Under Fire!!!
Posted by Greg Laden on September 21, 2010 It is very common, across the U.S., for science teachers to dread the “evolution” unit that they teach during life science class. As they approach the day, and start to prepare the students for what is coming, they begin to hear the sarcastic remarks from the creationist students. When the day to engage the evolution…
The latest issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach
Posted by Greg Laden on September 20, 2010 The latest issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach — the new journal aspiring to promote accurate understanding and comprehensive teaching of evolutionary theory for a wide audience — is now published. Devoted to human evolution and edited by William E. H. Harcourt Smith, the issue (volume 3, number 3) features Tom Gundling on “Human Origins…
The Vigil After Dover: Part 2
Posted by Greg Laden on September 20, 2010 Drs Myers and Decker: Advice on Teaching Evolution
Posted by Greg Laden on September 20, 2010 Continuing with our discussion of the Evolution 2008 conference … many things have been going on and I have more to report than time to report it. But I will get to all of it, I assure you. Tonight, I just want to cover part of today’s Education Symposium (moderated by your’s truly) … not…
Texas Creationists Pwned By Genie Scott
Posted by Greg Laden on September 17, 2010 This is why we love Genie Scott: The NCSE now has a channel on You Tube, and at this time you can see most, probably all, of Genie’s testimony in Texas. It is very instructive. GENIE SCOTT IS A MACHINE!!!
The Wrong Way to Approach the Evolution-Creationism Debate
Posted by Greg Laden on September 17, 2010 Amy Binder and John H. Evans, associate professors of Sociology at the University of California at San Diego, have written a piece on efforts to force religion in the guise of Intelligent Design and Creationism down the throats of children in Texas.
How To Get Away With Teaching The Controversy
Posted by Greg Laden on September 16, 2010 The following is an abstract from an article by Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education called ?WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE “TEACH THE CONTROVERSY” SLOGAN?? available here.
A discussion with Genie Scott about Science Standards, Creationism and Evolution in the Classroom
Posted by Greg Laden on September 16, 2010 This is from a few months back, but is very relevant to Back to School Month!
The Vigil After Dover: Part 1
Posted by Greg Laden on September 15, 2010 Before and after public pressure
Posted by Greg Laden on September 14, 2010 Before: Irish science minister boosts antievolution blarney The Irish minister of state for science is to appear at a launch party for a self-published antievolutionist book, according to the Irish Times (September 13, 2010). Conor Lenihan, who represents Dublin South West for Fianna Fáil in Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Irish parliament) and…
Stones & Bones: Evolution for kids
Posted by Greg Laden on September 14, 2010 Stones & Bones is a new book for children on the topic we all know and love: Evolution. The book comes with a CD and there is a very useful accompanying web site, according to the publishers. The NCSE recommends it.
Just so you know … cdesign proponentsists
Posted by Greg Laden on September 14, 2010 The blogosphere is structured like a bus of tourists heading into ever new territory being spoken to by a thousand guides with microphones in the front of the vehicle. Woe be it to any guide who points out something that the bus passed several blocks back. But sometimes it is appropriate to re-mention certain things…
Science Education and Critical Thinking
Posted by Greg Laden on September 14, 2010 I just want to remind returning teachers of this podcast: How are today’s teachers sharing the wonders of science and critical thinking with the next generation of students? With cognitive psychologist and university lecturer Barbara Drescher, and Mike McRae, former science teacher and current science writer for the education division of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and…
Evolution vs. Creationism: The Book
Posted by Greg Laden on September 14, 2010 A life science teacher should not have to know about creationism to teach evolution, other than to the extent that you may cover the history of evolutionary biology, and begin in the days before science took center stage and natural philosophy was dragged off with one of those big vaudeville hooks. But, unfortunately, you do…
Science Education News: Mostly about money
Posted by Greg Laden on September 9, 2010 Sara Lee isn’t just a baked good any more: Sara Lee Schupf, the namesake of the Sara Lee bakery brand, will this week announce a $1.5 million gift to the New York Hall of Science to create a Center on Play, Science and Technology Learning, or SciPlay at the Queens institution. The center will serve…
Your letter to your child’s biology teacher
Posted by Greg Laden on September 9, 2010 You have to tell your child’s life science teacher (or, any science teacher for that matter) that your family does not support creationism, does not want to see anyone “teaching the controversy” and that you know that “Intelligent Design” is a form of creationism. I promise you, the creationist parents of your child’s peers, and…
In support of a diligent, relentless critique of creationism
Posted by Greg Laden on September 9, 2010 Have a look at this video, done by Brian Rooney of ABC News Nightline, in which he follows around Billy Jack and Rusty Carter, two young earth creationists who are leading a school group through the Denver Museum of Nature and Science:
Parents: Is your child’s teacher a creationist?
Posted by Greg Laden on September 8, 2010 It happens. A very large percentage of life science teachers are creationists. In Minnesota, and Minnesota is not that unusual, about half the population or more are creationists, but among life science teachers, that number is reduced by almost one half. In other words, one in three life science teachers are creationists, although most, one…
What to do about Bible-thumping students in the science classroom
Posted by Greg Laden on September 8, 2010 …. Have you ever had this happen: You are minding your own business, teaching your life science course, it’s early in the term. A student, on the way out of the room after class (never at the beginning of class, rarely during class) mentions something about “carbon dating.” This usually happens around the time of…
Creationism and Evolution in the Classroom
Posted by Greg Laden on September 3, 2010 A little over a year ago, there was a meeting of the Minnesota Atheists that included a one hour panel discussion of evolution, creationism, science education, and so on. The panel was moderated by Lynn Fellman, and included (in order from right to left as the audience gazed on) Randy Moore, Sehoya Cotner, Jane Phillips,…
What is life? New Biology Textbook
Posted by Greg Laden on September 2, 2010 My old friend, colleague, suaboya, and educator extraordinaire, Jay Phelan has written what many believe will be the next Campbell. The name of the book is What Is Life?. There are two versions: one regular, and one with extra physiology. And both are based firmly on and integrated thoroughly with excellent evolutionary biology.
How can science teachers use blogs?
Posted by Greg Laden on September 1, 2010 Blogs and schools often don’t mix. Many blogs are free ranging entities untethered to an institutional or editorial framework. In public discussions of Scienceblogs.com, the fact that every blogger is editorially independent of each other and of the hosting organization, Seed Media Group, is mentioned without fail, and is often the central topic. Non-Sblings (we…
Is Blood Ever Blue? Science Teachers Want to Know!
Posted by Greg Laden on September 1, 2010 According to one of the leading experts on the human circulatory system, blood flowing through veins is blue.
The Great Debate, Part I: Miller & Pennock vs. Dembski & Behe
Posted by Greg Laden on September 1, 2010 
, which is now available for the 
