Teaching of evolution under siege

[marmar]

(Livescience.com)

The anti-evolution crowd has come out swinging this year. So far the theory has not taken one on the chin, but that could change soon in Tennessee.

The pounding is coming not from scientists, but from politicians who would chip away at the solid theory's foundations in an effort to interject religion into the teaching of science in public schools.

So far this year, seven states have proposed bills that would weaken evolution's standing in the classroom. The legislation is often couched as supporting academic freedom, points out the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), a group that defends the teaching of evolution in public schools. But critics say each bill has been, in fact, an attempt to foster the false belief among students that evolution is "just a theory" with "significant holes" that is wide open to competing ideas. And those competing ideas favor a deity.

"In an era when biology education is increasingly critical to industry and to an informed citizenry, this sort of law is especially dangerous," said Josh Rosenau, a biologist and programs and policy director at the NCSE. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/13/scitech/main20053536.shtml

[rurallib]

This is how republicans show their children love

they cut education funding, they cut health care, they cut any aid if they are poor and then they make sure they are stupid.

[Drale]

3. If their children end up being poor

they will just disown them, then they don't have to worry.

[HockeyMom]

1. God Created Evolution (Catholic School)

That's what I was taught in school. At least there is an "out" with that one. So maybe the Catholic Church can SUE over this one. It goes against THEIR religion. Wouldn't that be a kick these Fundie, Born Again Christians didn't expect?

[Pithlet]

2. I have to get the hell out of this miserable state....

Back to civilization.

[Auntie Bush]

5. You have my condolences. Thank God I'm from a solid Democratic state.

[CJvR]

4. Can't belive this is still an issue!

Well at least not in a civilized first world nation.

[nosmokes]

8. And what makes you think the US meets that criteria these days?

[Warren DeMontague]

6. "Just a theory"; that's funny, coming from the folks who think Ayn Rand's words are written in stone

No. Milton Friedman's crap? THAT is "just a theory".

Evolution - Evolutionary "theory"- is also SCIENTIFIC FUCKING FACT.

[RainDog]

7. seems to me this opens up the opportunity to challenge literalists in court

because the basis for challenging evolution is all within one sect of christianity that relies upon stupidity to continue its existence.

and that stupidity is based upon the idea that the Bible is literally true - a claim that is a joke on the face of it, but one they make, nevertheless.

therefore, in order to get this stupid fucking religious bullshit out of America's science classrooms, it seems that people in TN will have to sue the govt. for forcing it to teach children lies.

these lies can be proved by a standard of evidence for bibliographic, historic and literary scholarship that is accepted for any other document.

It would be a great day to take fundamentalists/literalists to court and have their claims entered into the legal record of this nation as a pack of lies.

And it seems that's what it's going to take.

Honestly, politicians that fight to support creationism in science are too fucking stupid to do their jobs and should be removed from their positions on the basis of mental incompetence.

[Igel]

9. I know a teacher who's a staunch evolutionist.

In my brief time observing teachers in the classroom, he stands out.

A kid will bring up a challenge to something that smacks of evolution. Perhaps biological, perhaps stellar, perhaps something else. He gets ignored, he gets smacked down. His challenge might be a ruse; in some cases it clearly is. In other cases, it's not. Yet the objection isn't dealt with.

Now, most teachers couldn't make an objection into a "teachable moment." A half-life challenge? They couldn't do the math; they couldn't talk about the data. This teacher could. He won't. It's a waste of time. "You memorized that 2 x 2 = 4. You learn evolution, and I don't want to hear any of this nonsense. I'm teaching you what evolution is. I don't want any discussion about it." The kid obviously doesn't understand the scant evidence presented; he doesn't share some of the same assumptions, for whatever reason. Perhaps he doesn't want to. Perhaps he's just repeating what he was told at home and could be taught. Perhaps he's had 10 years of teachers just saying, "Shut up and learn it. I don't have time to explain it, just fill in the right bubble on the test." So there's no actual teaching. The kid's been shut down and tunes out; he goes home and his parents say it's typical behavior, that evolution can't be defended so of course the teacher doesn't try. He gives the right answer on the test; he promptly forgets it.

Same for global warming or any number of other things. Sometimes the teacher insists it be taken as absolute truth. It's established science. And if you bring up interpretations, inferences, etc. from 10 or 20 years ago that were falsified, well, they were established science and couldn't be contradicted and the inferences and conclusions now are established science and can't be contradicted. Or, apparently, explained.

Some of the dogmaticity makes sense. You have 9 months in school, with 10 months' curriculum. You minus out the two months of testing and test review and need to cram in all the crap, whether the kids have time to learn it or not. Why waste 30 minutes dealing with one kid's problem? Esp. if he's already written off as dumber that gravel?