Teaching evolution has nothing to do with constitutional rights.
Teaching evolutions flows from the priniciple that we should teach
children the truth, which often means teaching them what humans understand
to be true about the universe.

Evolution is a theory and a fact.  The popular definition of
theory gets in the way of understanding the nature of evolution; it is a
theory, that is a funamental concept about how life operates; it is a
fact, that is something which has been observed repeatedly in nature.

The *only* objections to evolution come from religious biases, and
we agree (generally) that teachers explain the world as best we know how,
without attacking the rights of people to hold religious beliefs, but
without coddling them.  Many religions predate the development of germ
theory, for instance; science class doesn't spend much time examining the
fallacies found in the four (official) gospels in light of germ theory,
but we do spend time exploring bacteria, viruses, and their interactions
with healthy organisms.

Evolution is both a simple and deep concept.  Evolution refers
to the idea that species change over time; that new species split off
from common ancestors.  Not such a big deal.

The author may be confusing "evolution" with "natural selections",
which is one of the major mechanisms of evolution.  Its basic premises are
simple: parent organisms produce more offspring than can survive;
offspring vary; variations confer advantages and disadvantages in terms of
survival; variations can be inherited.  Simple enough to get one's mind
around, eh?  Yet in the 3.5 billion years of our planet, much variation
flows from this mechanism.

Below follows an ERIC digest about our topic.

In solidarity,

Michael Ames Connor//mconnor@reed.edu
member, Portland Association of Teachers

* * * * *

From mconnor  Sat May 23 07:33:23 1998
X-URL: http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed402148.html

   ED402148 Mar 96 Teaching Evolution in School Science Classes. ERIC
   Digest.
   Author: Haury, David L.

   ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental
   Education, Columbus, Ohio.

   THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
   CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT ACCESS ERIC
   1-800-LET-ERIC

   "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution." T.
   Dobzhansky.

   What seemed like a provocative statement twenty years ago has become
   firmly established as a unifying idea in biology education. Speaking
   at a convention of the National Association of Biology Teachers,
   Dobzhansky (1973) pointed out the remarkable diversity of life and the
   striking unity of life, both made more intelligible by the theory of
   evolution. He went on to say:

   "Seen in the light of evolution, biology is, perhaps, intellectually
   the most satisfying and inspiring science. Without that light it
   becomes a pile of sundry facts-some of them interesting or curious but
   making no meaningful picture as a whole."

   Evolution was also identified as the unifying theme of biology by the
   American Society of Zoologists (Moore, 1984); the Society's project to
   improve teaching at the college level first focused on evolutionary
   biology.

   More recently, the National Research Council (NRC) (1996) identified
   evolution as a major unifying idea in science that transcends
   disciplinary boundaries; a powerful idea to be used across all grade
   levels to guide instruction and align the curriculum. Biological
   evolution was also listed as one of the six content areas in the life
   sciences that are important for all high school students to study.
   Following are the concepts and principles associated with this content
   standard (p. 185):

   * Species evolve over time. Evolution is the consequence of the
   interactions of (1) the potential for a species to increase its
   numbers, (2) the genetic variability of offspring due to mutation and
   recombination of genes, (3) a finite supply of the resources required
   for life, and (4) the ensuing selection by the environment of those
   offspring better able to survive and leave offspring.

   * The great diversity of organisms is the result of more than 3.5
   billion years of evolution that has filled every available niche with
   life forms.

   *Natural selection and its evolutionary consequence provide a
   scientific explanation for the fossil record of ancient life forms, as
   well as for the striking molecular similarities observed among the
   diverse species of living organisms.

   * The millions of different species of plants, animals, and
   microorganisms that live on earth today are related by descent from
   common ancestors.

   * Biological classifications are based on how organisms are related.
   Organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups and subgroups
   based on similarities which reflect their evolutionary relationships.
   Species is the most fundamental unit of classification.

   The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (1993)
   also identified the evolution of life as one of six major areas of
   study in the life sciences. In addition to the guidelines provided by
   the NRC standards (1996), the AAAS emphasized genetics and molecular
   biology, and has suggested that students also know that:

   * Molecular evidence substantiates the anatomical evidence for
   evolution.

   * Heritable characteristics can be observed at molecular and
   whole-organism levels--in structure, chemistry, or behavior.

   * New heritable characteristics can result from new combinations of
   existing genes or from mutations of genes in reproductive cells.

   * Life on earth is thought to have begun as simple, one-celled
   organisms about 4 billion years ago. (p.125, abbreviated).

   BARRIERS TO MEETING THE STANDARDS

   A review of the literature on teaching and learning evolution
   (Demastes, Trowbridge, & Cummins, 1992) revealed several barriers,
   including certain intuitive ideas held by students, teleological and
   anthropomorphic thinking, and the influence of strongly held beliefs.
   These and other barriers have been discussed more fully at an
   evolution education research conference (Good and others, 1992), and
   in a special issue of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching
   (Volume 31, Issue 5, May 1994).

   Whether one surveys school students, college students, teachers, or
   school administrators, findings reveal many misunderstandings
   regarding evolution, and substantial acceptance of pseudoscientific
   ideas (Brumby, 1984; Demastes, Settlage, & Good, 1995; Greene, 1990;
   Lord & Marino, 1993). In developing a teaching module on evolution,
   Bishop and Anderson (1986) identified several critical barriers that
   hinder student understanding, including:

   1.Failure to make a distinction between the separate processes
   responsible for (a) the appearance of traits in a population and (b)
   the survival of such traits in the population over time.

   2. Failure to recognize that natural selection is dependent on
   differences (in genetic traits and in breeding success) among
   individuals of a population.

   3. Misinterpreting the nature of evolutionary change in populations,
   believing that all individuals change slowly over time. (pp. I-3)

   INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

   Scharmann (1993) has provided some general guidelines for designing
   lessons based on a conceptual change approach to instruction. It seems
   particularly crucial that teachers find ways to enrich the teaching of
   evolution given both the conceptual difficulty students have and the
   limited attention given to evolution in textbooks (Rosenthal, 1985;
   Glenn, 1990; Skoog, 1979).

   Hilbish and Goodwin (1994) have pointed out that the standard
   approaches to teaching natural selection through artificial examples
   and computer simulations show what could happen, not what is
   happening. They propose the use of real examples of natural selection
   in action, and they have described activities using the familiar
   dandelion. McComas (1991) also emphasized the importance of direct
   inquiry and has provided an annotated list of activities from
   non-textbook sources.

   For teaching about human evolution, Offner (1994a, 1994b) has
   described activities using maps of human chromosomes to illustrate
   mechanisms of evolutionary change. Gipps (1991) described using casts
   of anthropoid skulls, and Riss (1993) suggested a related activity
   using photocopies of skulls.

   THE "CREATIONIST" RESISTANCE

   Perhaps most unsettling is the finding that a substantial proportion
   of high school biology teachers hold pseudoscientific beliefs, with
   nearly 40% thinking "there are sufficient problems with the theory of
   evolution to cast doubts on its validity" (Eve & Dunn, 1990). Those
   holding such views seem particularly vulnerable to the influence of
   various groups wishing to reduce attention to evolution in science
   classes. The teaching of evolution has been a source of controversy in
   American schools throughout the century (Larson, 1985; Nelkin, 1982),
   and advocates of evolution have continued to offer rebuttals to
   creationist claims (Berra, 1990; Ruse, 1982). In the early 1980s, the
   controversy led to a conference to clarify issues (Zetterberg, 1983).
   Though many scientific, religious, and educational organizations
   explicitly support the teaching of evolution (McCollister, 1989), many
   individuals also endorse the importance of upholding the integrity of
   science while also acknowledging the validity of deeply held religious
   beliefs (Hanson, 1986). Educators wanting more information supportive
   of evolution education from a Christian perspective may be interested
   in a resource packet, "Creationism, the church, and the public
   schools," available from the United Church of Christ Resources, Inc.
   (call 1-800-537-3394), or a booklet by the American Scientific
   Affiliation (ASA) entitled, "Teaching science in a climate of
   controversy." The ASA is an organization of Christians with academic
   degrees in science that takes no official position, but supports the
   teaching of evolution as science. Contact the ASA at P.O. Box 668,
   Ipswich, MA 01938-0668 (Call (508) 356-5656; E-mail: asa@newl.com)

   REFERENCES

   American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1993).
   Benchmarks for science literacy. New York: Oxford University Press.

   Berra, T. M. (1990). Evolution and the myth of creationism. Stanford:
   Stanford University Press.

   Bishop, B. A., & Anderson, C. W. (1986). Evolution by natural
   selection: A teaching module. (Occasional Paper No. 91). East Lansing:
   The Institute for Research on Teaching, Michigan State University. ED
   272 383

   Bishop, B. A., & Anderson, C. W. (1990). Student conceptions of
   natural selection and its role in evolution. Journal of Research in
   Science Teaching, 27(5), 415-427.

   Brumby, M. N. (1984). Misconceptions about the concept of natural
   selection by medical biology students. Science Education, 68, 493-503.
   Demastes, S. S., Trowbridge, J. E., & Cummins, C. L. (1992).
   Information from science education literature on the teaching and
   learning of evolution. In R. G. Good, J. E. Trowbridge, S. S.
   Demastes, J. H. Wandersee, M. S. Hafner, & C. L. Cummins (Eds.).
   Proceedings of the 1992 Evolution Education Research Conference,
   (pp.42-71). Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University.

   Demastes, S. S., Settlage, J., & Good, R. (1995). Students'
   conceptions of natural selection and its role in evolution: Cases of
   replication and comparison. Journal of Research in Science Teaching,
   32(5), 535-550.

   Dobzhansky, T. (1973). Nothing in biology makes sense except in the
   light of evolution. The American Biology Teacher, 35(3), 125-129.

   Eve, R., & Dunn, D. (1990). Psychic powers, astrology, & creationism
   in the classroom? The American Biology Teacher, 52(1), 10-21.

   Gipps, J. (1991). Skulls and human evolution: the use of casts of
   anthropoid skulls in teaching concepts of human evolution. Journal of
   Biological Education, 25, 283-290.

   Glenn, W. (1990). Treatment of selected concepts of organic evolution
   and the history of life on earth in three series of high school earth
   science textbooks. Science Education, 74(1), 37-52.

   Good, R. G., Trowbridge, J. E., Demastes, S. S., Wandersee, J. H.,
   Hafner, M. S., & Cummins, C. L. (1992). Proceedings of the 1992
   Evolution Education Research Conference. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State
   University.

   Greene, E. D., Jr. (1990). The logic of university students'
   misunderstanding of natural selection. Journal of Research in Science
   Teaching, 27, 875-885.

   Hanson, R. W. (Ed.). (1986). Science and creation: Geological,
   theological, and educational perspectives. New York: Macmillan.

   Hilbish, T. J., & Goodwin, M. (1994). A simple demonstration of
   natural selection in the wild using the common dandelion. The American
   Biology Teacher, 56(5), 286-290.

   Larson, D. J. (1985). Trial and error: The American controversy over
   creation and evolution. New York: Oxford University Press.

   Lord, T., & Marino, S. (1993). How university students view the theory
   of evolution. The American Biology Teacher, 52(1), 353-357.

   McCollister, B. (Ed.). (1989). Voices for evolution. Berkeley, CA: The
   National Center for Science Education, Inc.

   McComas, W. F. (1991). Resources for teaching evolutionary biology
   labs. The American Biology Teacher, 53(4), 205-209.

   Moore, J. A. (1984). Science as a way of knowing-evolutionary biology.
   American Zoologist, 24(2), 467-534.

   National Research Council. (1996). National science education
   standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

   Nelkin, D. (1982). The creation controversy: Science or scripture in
   the schools. Boston: Beacon Press.

   Offner, S. (1994a). Using chromosomes to teach evolution I. Conserved
   genes & gene families. The American Biology Teacher, 56(2), 86-93.

   Offner, S. (1994b). Using chromosomes to teach evolution II.
   Chromosomal rearrangements in speciation events. The American Biology
   Teacher, 56(2), 79-85.

   Riss, P. H. (1993). A ration explanation for evolution. Science Scope,
   16 (4), 36-44.

   Rosenthal, D. B. (1985). Evolution in high school biology textbooks:
   1963-1983. Science Education, 69(5), 637-648.

   Ruse, M. (1982). Darwinism defended: A guide to the evolution
   controversies. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

   Scharmann, L. C. (1993). Teaching evolution: Designing successful
   instruction. The American Biology Teacher, 55(8), 481-486.

   Skoog, G. (1979). Topic of evolution in secondary school biology
   textbooks. Science Education, 63(5) 621-640.

   Zetterberg, J. P. (Ed.). (1983). Evolution versus creationism: The
   public education controversy. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.

   WHERE TO GO FOR HELP

   INFORMATION CENTERS

   Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC). The ERIC database
   includes bibliographic information for approximately 800 items on the
   teaching and learning of evolution, from journal articles about
   classroom activities to research findings about student conceptions.
   Search the database using descriptors such as: evolution, biology,
   science education, science activities, science instruction, science
   curriculum, scientific concepts, genetics, misconceptions,
   creationism, and controversial issues course content For more
   information, contact ERIC/CSMEE, (800) 276-0462 or (614) 292-6717;
   Fax: (614) 292-0263; E-mail: ericse@osu.edu.

   National Center for Science Education (NCSE). The NCSE sponsors
   several activities to support the teaching of evolution. The
   organization publishes a quarterly newsletter for members, and a
   semi-annual journal, Creation/Evolution. NCSE also distributes many
   books and sponsors many seminars and workshops. For more information,
   contact NCSE, P.O. Box 9477, Berkeley, CA 94709. Telephone: (800)
   290-6006 or (510) 526-1674; Fax: (510) 526-1675; E-mail: ncse@crl.com.
   INTERNET RESOURCES

   Harvard's Evolution Virtual Library

   http://golgi.harvard.edu/biopages/evolution.html

   This World Wide Web server provides an extensive collection of
   Internet links to organizations, publications, academic programs,
   museums, collections, and exhibits. This is a good place to start a
   search for current information relating to evolution.

   The Talk.Origins Archive

   http://rumba.ics.uci.edu:8080/origins/faqs.html

   This home page presents files from a UserNet group, talk.origins.
   Though strongly oriented toward issues relating to evolution and
   creation, this site presents some very readable essays on evolutionary
   theory, findings, and methods.

   This digest was funded by the Office of Educational Research and
   Improvement, U.S. Department of Education under contract no.
   RR93002013. Opinions expressed in this digest do not necessarily
   reflect the positions or policies of OERI or the Department of
   Education.