Culture Wars
tfk | March 28, 2009Berlanga and Nuñez voted against the final TEKS, the other 13 voted to approve them. Texas has new science standards. Those standards are better than the old ones, but those old standards really did suck. As the Fordham Institute put it, giving the standards an F in 2005, "Thematic unities, so persuasively urged in the national guides, have an effect here opposite to that advertised. They produce breadth of assertion instead of depth of understanding. … In the science discipline content here reviewed, Texas provides, by way of scant substance or careless writing or plain errors, something…
tfk | March 27, 2009Craig offers to amend ESS 4:
Earth in Space and Time. The student knows how Earth-based and space-based astronomical observations reveal differing theories about the structure, scale, composition, origin, and history of the universe.
to read:
4) Earth in Space and Time. The student knows how Earth-based and space-based astronomical observations reveal information about the structure, scale, composition, origin, and history of the universe.
This was the recommendation of the ESS writing committee.
Motion fails, 7-8. Agosto breaks with the good guys.
Dunbar offers an amendment to 8(A), which…
tfk | March 27, 2009Dunbar jumped in line, and is trying to reinsert a new 7(B), slightly varied from the one just stricken.
"analyze and evaluate the sufficiency of scientific explanations concerning any data of sudden appearance, stasis, and the sequential nature of groups in the fossil record."
Allen likes it better, but won't support it, because he hasn't had a chance to vet it with his experts.
Mercer wants it, because he wants to talk about sudden appearance.
Craig is generally supportive, but offers an amendment. Wants to strike "the sufficiency of."
Dunbar supports the amendment, so this'll pass.
Craig…
tfk | March 27, 2009Lawrence Allen proposes to strike the noxious 7B from Biology standards. That standard states: "analyze and evaluate the sufficiency or insufficiency of common ancestry to explain the sudden appearance, stasis, and sequential nature of groups in the fossil record."
McLeroy claims that evolution can't explain stasis or sudden appearance. Must I observe that stabilizing selection is kinda well-documented?
McLeroy would've brought his evidence had he known he had he'd face this again: "I have the Time magazine cover."
"It's not complicated! I disagree with these experts."
"Yes, it's hard to…
tfk | March 26, 2009Dunbar offers a new amendment to the fraught 3A, formerly the "strengths and weaknesses" language. It would now read:
analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations in all fields of science by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning and experimental and observational testing, by examining scientific evidence that is supportive and not supportive of those explanations, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student.
She cites bogus claims about any change in the language possibly creating a legal cause of action based on "legislative intent." This isn't a legislature, and…
tfk | March 26, 2009Bob Craig is proposing amendments to Earth and Space Science. These largely track recommendations from a panel of the ESS writers, in response to amendments offered by the Board last January.
The first strikes "differing theories" and replaces it with "information about," in:
4) Earth in Space and Time. The student knows how Earth-based and space-based astronomical observations reveal information about the structure, scale, composition, origin, and history of the universe.
Dunbar asks who proposed it, and Craig points out that Kyle Lewallen presented it to the Board yesterday, and that he…
tfk | March 26, 2009Terri Leo just offered an amendment to add a standard to Biology 9:
D) analyze and evaluate the evidence regarding formation of simple organic molecules and their organization into long complex molecules having information such as the DNA molecule for self-replicating life.
It passed, with reservations expressed by various members who hadn't had time to review it. This will come up for a vote again tomorrow.
Mavis Knight proposed to remove the creationist amendment McLeroy introduced last time. The vote failed, with Agosto abstaining.
McLeroy is now advocating an amendment to add another…
tfk | March 26, 2009I'm currently taping the Texas Board of Education as they consider amendments and motions regarding state science standards. The first big fight related to language in the standards on the books now which refers to "strengths and weaknesses," and to change that to a requirement that students "analyze and evaluate" scientific ideas. Ken Mercer offered the amendment striking the "analyze and evaluate" language, replacing it with old language that had been abused to attack evolution in the 2003 science standards fight.
Bob Craig, a Republican who votes with the coalition supporting accurate…
tfk | March 25, 2009
I missed the first few minutes with this camera, and someone knocked it over briefly, but still, you get the flavor of things.
More anon, including video of my testimony.
tfk | March 25, 2009There are more questions for Don Patton than for Genie. He thinks evolution defenders are a bunch of liars. He also thinks that the Flintstones is a documentary. He's so far out that even other creationists reject his claims.
Cargill wants to talk with him about his research. Also wants to know how well the fossil record is filled in, which Patton tries to avoid answering.
Gerald Skoog knocks it out of the park.
Hiram Sasser, of Focus on your own the Family did well on the science part of ACT, so he's an expert. He's ready to overturn the Copernican model.
There's a fictional lawsuit…
tfk | March 25, 2009They're inviting special people to jump in line.
Genie is being invited to testify. Youtube shortly.
Now some guy is saying that everyone who defends evolution is an evil atheist.
And the next guy is a Paluxy track apologist. Honestly.
tfk | March 25, 2009I was looking forward to seeing the author of a predecessor to Of Pandas and People. Alas, family illness kept him away, but his substitute decided to assert that "Richard Dawkins plagiarized Francis Crick," a stark claim which seems unsupported.
Krouse is good, but no questions.
James Norelius: Claims the pilot Smitty didn't follow standard procedure, so we should add S&W to the TEKS. Sadly, no.
tfk | March 25, 2009Mohlman defended science education, Wade Warren backed the creationist S&W language. He can't work through why people oppose S&W.
Victoria Huang explains that evolution is key to medicine, agriculture, etc.
McLeroy is after her over language in the 21st Century Science statement, which she didn't sign, but basically agrees with.
Audris Zidermanis is speaking too softly to hear. She's got some sort of quotemine going on, though.
tfk | March 25, 2009Josh Rosenau just spoke, and boy was he brilliant! I felt like I was racing, but I'm told that I didn't trip over myself the way Casey did. I've got tape of the whole thing, so we'll see shortly.
Here's what I said:
Mr. Chairman, members of the Board, thank you for the chance to speak with you about the draft science TEKS.
The science TEKS on the books now were given _an F_ in a 2005 survey of state science standards by the politically conservative Thomas Fordham Institute, noting that "they produce breadth of assertion instead of depth of understanding."
The TEKS presented by your expert…
tfk | March 25, 2009Daniel is a member of TAMEST, an association of Nobelists and members of NAS/IOM/NAE. Our statement is irreconcilable with the amendments offered.
Science is awesome, and Texas has a lot to offer, he points out. We're trying to recruit top people. S&W are understood as code-words, which will spook good scientists.
Various discussion of S&W, etc. McLeroy doesn't seem to be reiterating his anti-NAS rhetoric.
He's defending the "analyze and evaluate" language, making clear that it doesn't allow one-sided indoctrination, but neither does it require presenting bogus silliness just to…
tfk | March 25, 2009STAT and TABT issue a joint statement against S&W, remove January amendments. Detailed critique of the amendments, worrying about appropriateness and new testing requirements which might arise. Adopt the TEKS as presented by writing committees.
Emphasizes that gaps are not weaknesses in a theory.
Hardy: "I am concerned" about how much time is spent on evolution. 3 days. But we talk about it all year long.
Dunbar: Do you omit weaknesses to make time for strengths?
Robert Crowther is replaced by Casey Luskin. "Greetings!," he begins, omitting "earthlings!" He whines about treatment…
tfk | March 25, 2009Austen Williams, who identifies herself as Mrs. Arlington, Mrs. Texas, is bothered that she was taught evolution "dogmatically." She has a "burning desire to know."
"I just want to learn things."
Leo and Cargill are very impressed. She learned about IC in an archaeology course. Studying early bacterial cultures?
tfk | March 25, 2009Colin White, a student, thinks textbooks suck because they don't invent weaknesses of evolution.
Insulted by people who think high school students don't know everything. Or something.
Mercer: Students are great.
Leo: "By presenting only one side, would you say that students out there might walk away not knowing that there are weaknesses?" Colin and Leo agree that some students learned bogus creationist nonsense at home, so it ought to be taught in school, too. Colin isn't terribly cogent, which doesn't really support his claim that students are sophisticated enough to handle the complex…
tfk | March 25, 2009Melinda Mells has won a ton of teaching awards in science education. "My task as a science teacher is to ensure that my students have … a solid foundation to build upon in future science courses. … Your task as board members is to ensure that science, and only science, is taught in science classes."
Then we get into Francis Bacon.
There's some sort of fight between Cargill (?) and Mells about the nature of "theory."
Bill Vinal: Speaks about physics and chemistry, then we'll have a 15 minute break. He thinks there's too much calculation.
tfk | March 25, 2009President-elect of Austin Geological Society. PhD from UT, masters from Cambridge "hence my strange accent."
Reads a letter from Geol. Soc. They reiterate NAS definition of science: "The use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge generated through this process." Asks that amendments from January be dropped. Don't blur the boundary between science and pseudoscience.
No questions.
Ewert: Insists that his work on bacteria proves that evolution is wrong. Bacteria stay bacteria, etc. Not if you ask Richard Lenski. Anyway…