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The Creation Controversy and The Science Classroom


By: James W. Skehan S.J., Ph.D. and Craig E. Nelson, Ph.D.
$14.36 - Member Price  
$17.95 - Nonmember Price


$18.67 - Member Price  
$23.34 - Nonmember Price
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Details

Type of Product:NSTA Press Book (also see downloadable PDF version of this book)
Publication Date:1/1/2000
Pages:56
Stock Number:PB069X2
ISBN:978-0-87355-184-7
Grade Level:Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Read Inside:Read a sample chapter: Modern Science and the Book of Genesis
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Description

In the debate over creationism, you need ammunition that will let you respond to the opposition in a forceful but reasoned manner. This is it. Organized into three practical parts, The Creation Controversy arms you with insights into modern science and the Book of Genesis, effective strategies for teaching evolution and other controversial topics, and the NSTA Position Statement on Evolution.


Ideas For Use

Nelson uses an outstanding metaphor to illustrate the underlying processes of reasoning and comparison--a burger with three bun layers and two meat layers. The bun layers are areas where there are currently no solid scientific answers, only speculation. These are the origin of consciousness, the origin of a genetic system, and the origin of the universe. The meat layers are the age and physical development of the universe and the diversification of life. In these two areas science has provided relatively solid answers.

Additional Info

Science Discipline: (mouse over for full classification)
Earth system evolution
Universe origin
Adaptations
Natural selection
Scientific habits of mind
Historical perspectives
Intended User Role:Curriculum Supervisor, Elementary-Level Educator, High-School Educator, Middle-Level Educator, Teacher
Educational Issues:Classroom management, Curriculum, Educational research, Inquiry learning, Instructional materials, Learning theory, Professional development, Teacher content knowledge, Teaching strategies

Contents

Foreword

Modern Science and the Book of Genesis
•Creationism and Teachers
•Religious Science? Scientific Religion?
•How Knowledge Has Evolved Through Time
•Fundamentalism and Fundamentalist Religion
•What the Bible Teaches
•The Genesis of Genesis
•External Evidence
•Internal Evidence
•About Documentary Hypothesis
•The Age of Earth as Interpreted from the Bible
•New Data: Evidence from the Earth
•Evidence from the Creatures
•Creationism versus Science
•Creationism: The Appeal to Authority
•Science: The Appeal to Evidence
•Two Kinds of Knowledge
•Notes
•References

Effective Strategies for Teaching Evolution and Other Controversial Topics
•Problems That Arise from Traditional Pedagogy in Science
•Didactic pedagogy and passive learning lead to limited and temporary understanding of science
•Problems That Arise from Traditional Content and Curricula in Science
•We often appear to present all topics in science as equally well supported
•In “covering the material,” we often present just the conclusions, leaving out the underlying critical thinking
•Often, we do not help students learn to compare the strengths of disparate scientific ideas
•We often use words in ways that are contradictory to common usage
•Two Problems That Arise from Outside Traditional Pedagogy and Content
•Public controversies usually rest on disagreements about consequences
•Students often want us to just tell them what to memorize
•Summary
•Notes
•References

An NSTA Position Statement: The Teaching of Evolution
•Introductory Remarks
•The Nature of Science and Scientific Theories
•Evolution as a Unifying Concept
•Creationism
•Legal Isses
•References

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National Standards Correlation

This resource has 13 correlations with the National Standards.  
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This resource has 13 correlations with the National Standards.  
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  • Life Science
    • Diversity and adaptations of organisms
      • Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations (5-8)
      • Species acquire many of their unique characteristics through biological adaptation, which involves the selection of naturally occurring variations in populations. (5-8)
      • Fossils indicate that many organisms that lived long ago are extinct. (5-8)
    • Biological evolution
      • Evolution is the consequence of the interactions of the ensuing selection by the environment of those offspring better able to survive and leave offspring. (9-12)
      • 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. (9-12)
      • Natural selection and its evolutionary consequences 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. (9-12)
  • Earth Science
    • Origin and evolution of the earth system
      • The sun, the earth, and the rest of the solar system formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas 4.6 billion years ago. (9-12)
    • Origin and evolution of the universe
      • The origin of the universe remains one of the greatest questions in science. (9-12)
      • The "big bang" theory places the origin between 10 and 20 billion years ago, when the universe began in a hot dense state; according to this theory, the universe has been expanding ever since. (9-12)
  • Science as Inquiry
    • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
      • Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.
    • Understandings about scientific inquiry
      • Historical and current scientific knowledge influence the design and interpretation of investigations and the evaluation of proposed explanations made by other scientists. (9-12)
  • History and Nature of Science
    • Nature of scientific knowledge
      • Explanations on how the natural world changes based on myths, personal beliefs, religious values, mystical inspiration, superstition, or authority may be personally useful and socially relevant, but they are not scientific. (9-12)
    • Historical perspectives
      • NA


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