Peer Review

Teaching Evolution: Online Course for Teachers

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jul 27, 2005 by Teacher Education

Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This is an 8-part online course for science teachers that can be accessed for independent study or completed for credit through registration at several different universities. The material covers evolutionary concepts and teaching approaches and is organized in a logical, easy to follow sequence.
Type of Material:: Sequenced instruction including discussion questions and video clips and links to appropriate resources.
Recommended Uses:: This material is recommended for all life science teachers and teacher educators. The material should be of special interest to any college institution that
wants to offer an online course for students interested in teaching evolution.
Technical Requirements:: ISDN or high-speed connection is recommended, Web browser with QuickTime or RealPlayer with sound (recommended, not required) for watching videos, Shockwave software, Adobe Acrobat Reader. As a written supplement, the user may want to get the book Evolution, by by Carl Zimmer HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY, 2001. ISBN 0060199067. The book can often be purchased on the web for about $10.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The expected outcome is for teachers to understand how the theory of evolution reflects the nature of science in general and for the teacher to become more prepared to teach evolution and to deal with the controversy that sometimes surrounds the teaching of evolution. The teaching focus addresses
common misconceptions about evolution. The lessons
are tied together by introducing teaching methodologies for evolution content
and the possible obstacles to teaching evolution.
Target Student Population:: Middle school and high school science teachers are the target population - although elementary school teachers and college faculty would also benefit from the course.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Basic (general education) knowledge of biology including genetics would promote success in the course - but is not required since the materials provide reference links. The ability to navigate
through the website and access the multimedia content is required.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: The course provides content about evolution (sessions 1-5); methodologies for teaching evolution in high school classrooms (sessions 6-7); and strategies for dealing with controversy that may arise in teaching evolution (session 8) - all from academic and recognized authoritative sources. The material is very well organized and current.
Concerns:: Our teachers ask for a bit more depth on cladistic classification - something that appears in textbooks now used by teachers who may never have been trained in the cladistic approach to classification hypothesis-testing.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: This course is ready to use by college faculty. A variety of different instructional strategies used throughout the course address different learning styles and provide interactive exercises to deepen understanding. Even faculty who are not familiar with constructivist pedagogy can begin to use Concept Maps- to identify prior knowledge and then to document new knowledge, cooperative learning jigsaw activities, and reflection activities to help students integrate knowledge and to connect it to their experience. The course can be used by colleges and universities either face-to-face or online for credit, by students on their own (although the material is most effective if discussed with colleagues), or selected lessons can be incorporated into biology or science teacher education courses. The content includes
videos showing real teachers in their classrooms and this makes the
learning experience more personal and therefore more meaningful to the students.
Also, the variety in which the material is presented makes learning the material
more efficient (and fun).
Concerns:: The only concern is that faculty will be unaware of the value of this wealth of material until they step through the entire course sequence - which can take several days. Fortunately, the course structure is outlined at http://scied.fullerton.edu/biol409/about/about3.html and the navigation structure and menu work well for skimming by faculty who may not have that amount of time.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The navigation structure associated with the 5E's (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate), constructivist approach to learning is outstanding. The material is easy to access. The online format makes it accessible to the
students (and faculty) at any time and the students can go through the material
as often as they need.
Concerns:: During progress through the course, one often gets the urge to look back at previous material. But there is no easy way to find the material of interest without actually stepping through the sequence of the lessons covered (Hmmm..... where WAS that outstanding video that related the movements of dolphin/whale swimming to the movements of running terrestrial mammals? Although the video quality makes it worth the effort, one reviewer would prefer not to have had to review quite so many video clips to find that outstanding piece by looking through the lessons a second time.)

Other Issues and Comments:: This material is transformative for the understanding of life science teachers. The user-friendly design of instructional technology to deliver bits of instructional content for this course is exemplary and should be emulated! In addition to a carefully designed instruction sequence, the website contains many other resources for students and teachers to help improve and
enhance the learning/teaching of evolution. This online course sets a new standard for excellence. Many former students who are now teachers have gained a lot from this material - and their students will continue to benefit for many years to come!
Creative Commons: