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Understanding Evolution

People have misconceptions about evolution. Some are simple misunderstandings; ideas that develop in the course of learning about evolution, possibly from school experiences and/or from the media. Other misconceptions may stem from purposeful attempts to interfere with the teaching of evolution. Science teachers must learn to treat all student questions with respect and initially to accept each question as the reflection of a legitimate desire to learn. However, some questions may well be designed to disrupt the learning process. We need to deal with intentionally disruptive questions in ways that are a bit different from legitimate inquiry. And it is important that we learn to distinguish between the two. This web site explains how to teach evolution in the classroom, with concepts, lesson plans and teaching philosophy about teaching evolution. It also provides a glossary and a guide to identifying and dealing with potential obstacles to the teaching of evolution and provides links to readings, websites, and position statements. The site was created by the University of California Museum of Paleontology with support provided by the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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More about this material

Material Type:
Tutorial
Date Added to MERLOT:
May 29, 2004
Date Modified in MERLOT:
June 29, 2020
Author:
 
Submitter:
Nancy J. Pelaez
Primary Audience:
High School, College General Ed, Graduate School, Professional
Technical Format:
Website
Mobile Compatibility:
Not specified at this time
Language:
English
Cost Involved:
No
Source Code Available:
No
Accessibility Information Available:
No
Creative Commons:
No

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Comments

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Pankaj Mehrotra
Pankaj Mehrotra (Faculty)
1 year ago
This website is a great tool for actively engaging students in a course where special topics on evolution are taught to both major and non-major students.
Stefanie Galasso
Stefanie Galasso (Student)
6 years ago
This website is useful, to me, mainly because it gives you a teachers' guide to teaching evolution. Evolution, if not taught correctly, could be a confusing thing. This website serves as the basis for a good evolution lesson. It also has an interactive section that can be useful for the visual learners.
Jamie Medlock
Jamie Medlock (Student)
6 years ago
This website would be a useful tool when introducing the topic of evolution. This website is helpful because it provides a lot of information coupled with pictures in order to drive the concept home. In addition, I would use this website as a tool for my students to play around with and familiarize themselves with.
Patricio San Francisco B.
Patricio San Francisco B. (Staff)
6 years ago

Interesante espacio para los alumnos y docentes.

Marty Zahn
Marty Zahn (Retired Faculty)
7 years ago

One of the best sites I have seen to guide students through both the threory and factual information on evolution while explaining the common misconceptions that people have about it.

 

Have used site for assignments in class and online.

Time spent reviewing site: 3 hours