MSSI Evolution Misconceptions

Avoiding Misconceptions When Teaching Evolution -

P esentation Segments

common misconceptions and how they can be addressed with diverse students.

Presentation Segments:

The importance of being scientifically literate.

What is a misconception?

Eight common misconceptions.

Misinformation in everyday communication or the media.

How to handle misconceptions in general teacher strategies.

Resources for Teachers.

Comments Questions and DiscussionComments, Questions, and Discussion.

Why should students learn science?

To understand their world, think critically, evaluate information, and become problem solvers.

To be prepared for high quality jobs in a hi hl h i l l b lhighly technical global economy.

To be well-informed, educated citizens, bl d d l iable to understand complex issues.

To have a good grounding in science and become well-educated citizens, students need to understand the principles of evolutionaryto understand the principles of evolutionary theory. Yet students come to class with many misconceptions about evolution.

In this session, we will explore some of the i ti d thi Bi Idcommon misconceptions around this Big Idea

in science, and how to avoid teaching or perpetuating these misconceptions.p p g p

First,

What are misconceptions?

Misconceptions are ideas that students have aboutthat students have about the natural world that are not consistent with scientific accounts of those phenomena They arephenomena. They are frequently referred to as alternative ideas, nave ideas, or intuitive understandingsunderstandings.

Lets look at some common misconceptions and howLet s look at some common misconceptions and how we might address them.

MisconceptionMisconception 1.

Evolution is a process in the distant past. It might explain dinosaurs and trilobites, but d osau s a d o es, udoes not continue to occur in

living populations.

Provide students with examples of current research

Heres one very recent example about the iconic finches of the Galapagos Islands -the rapid appearance of a new species based on the songs they sing.At Wired Science: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/11/speciation-in-action/ttp // ed co / edsc e ce/ 009/ /spec at o act o /

When researchers adjusted the color frequencies of wild guppy populations in Trinidad, they found that unusual variants regardless of color had higher survival rates. This is called frequency-dependent survival: selection favoring the rare and disfavoring the common preventing a long term homogeneity that norare and disfavoring the common, preventing a long-term homogeneity that no matter how beneficial in the short term might someday prove disastrous.www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/12/evolutionexampl/

American songbirds evolve with forests to cope with deforestation American songbirds evolve with forests to cope with deforestationhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35440831/ns/technology_and_science-science/from/ET

Experimentation with fruit flies demonstrates the power of genetic mutation in the l b t i llaboratory or science classroom.

How Does Evolution Impact My Life? There is a whole website devoted to current examples of evolution, with section on evolution in the news.

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/search/topicbrowse2.php?topic_id=47

Misconception 2.Misconception 2.

Organisms are always getting better; evolution states that organisms willorganisms will improve.

Keep in mind -

Fitness is linked to environment Fitness is linked to environment, not to progress.


Living individuals adapt to their conditions.conditions.

Mi ti 4Mi ti 4Misconception 4.Misconception 4.

Random mutations explain variations in organisms.g

Keep in mind -

Mutations are random;natural selection is directionalnatural selection is directional.


As new organisms evolve the parent populations of organisms become extinctextinct.


Acquired characteristics are passed on to offspring.

Keep in mind -

Try to avoid using the word adapt when talking about an individualsefforts to survive in its environment.

Reserve the word adaptation for discussions of inherited characteristics that are useful for survival in the current environment.


Evolution is

just a a

Theory.

Understanding the difference between laws, theories, hypotheses, and models is one of the BIG IDEAs in Floridas Next Generation ScienceBIG IDEAs in Florida s Next Generation Science Standards: The Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses, andThe Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses, and Models - The terms that describe examples of scientific knowledge, for example; "theory," "l " "h th i " d " d l" h"law," "hypothesis," and "model" have very specific meanings and functions within science.


Scientific hypotheses, theories and laws are a continuuma continuum representing varying levels of certainty. Therefore laws are proven; theories are not.

The 6th grade science benchmarks do a good job of succinctlyThe 6th grade science benchmarks do a good job of succinctly stating the difference between a theory and a law. For example:

SC.6.N.3.1 Recognize and explain that a scientific theory is a well-supported and widely accepted explanation of nature and is not simply a claim posed by an individual. Thus, the use of the term theory in science is very different than how y yit is used in everyday life.

SC.6.N.3.2 Recognize and explain that a scientific law is a description of a specific relationship under given conditions in the natural world. Thus, scientific laws are different fromin the natural world. Thus, scientific laws are different from societal laws. i.e. the Law of Conservation of Energy SC.6.P.11.1 or the Law of Gravity SC.6.P.13.2.

If teachers are not working with 6th grade, they may not have read through the 6th grade standards.

Lets look at the types of misinformation that students may hear based on misconceptions about evolution.

There is the class of statements about humans evolving to meet modern conditions, like

I heard that because of all the use of texting and digital devices, humans aretexting and digital devices, humans are evolving bigger thumbs; or,

I heard because humans work with their I heard because humans work with their brains now more that their bodies, humans are evolving bigger heads.

In church I heard biologists are gwrong. - Evolution and Religion are in

fli tconflict.

Keep in mind -

One of the Big Ideas in the Next Generation Science Standards

Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence, and is appropriate for understanding the natural world, but it providesappropriate for understanding the natural world, but it provides only a limited understanding of the supernatural, aesthetic, or other ways of knowing, such as art, philosophy, or religion.

Respect and communicate that students may have a wide range of Respect and communicate that students may have a wide range ofbeliefs about religion and that religious beliefs are a personal issue.Point out that students are expected only to learn about evolution,not accept it How they integrate it with their own beliefs is anot accept it. How they integrate it with their own beliefs is a personal matter.

Organisms will just evolve to deal withOrganisms will just evolve to deal with climate change.

How to Handle MisconceptionsHow to Handle Misconceptions

1. Elicit student misconceptions.1. Elicit student misconceptions.

Several researchers have emphasized the importance of allowing students to exploreimportance of allowing students to explore their own ideas in a non-threatening atmosphere. Teachers need to create the necessaryTeachers need to create the necessary classroom climate and elicit student concepts about evolution.

A 5Es Science Lesson: Engage (Elicit) Explore Explain (Exchange) Extend Evaluate

(For a review of the 5Es Learning Cycle see( g yhttp://www.miamisci.org/ph/lpintro5e.html )

2 Teachers need to consider the extent to which2. Teachers need to consider the extent to which misconceptions may be language difficulties.

Whenever concepts or definitions are i t d d idintroduced, provide significant numbers of examples and non-examples.

3. Explanations of any links between new information and prior knowledge should be made in a variety of ways.

Present learners with visual, verbal and di ti f tdiagrammatic formats of the principles to be taught. Allow learners gto manipulate materials and physically explore thephysically explore the concepts.

44 Look for evidence that students have changedLook for evidence that students have changed4.4. Look for evidence that students have changed Look for evidence that students have changed their thinking or behaviors.their thinking or behaviors.

Journal entries, science notebooks,

tf li d idportfolios, and ideas shared within the group provide insights g ginto student thinking beyond exams.

Resources for Teachers

Understanding Evolution for Teachers National Science Foundation Understanding Evolution for Teachers. National Science Foundation (grant no. 0096613) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (grant no. 51003439). The site provides quick tutorials for the basics of evolutionary theory as well as a section on misconceptions. Lesson plans are included.http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evohome.htmlp // y / /

The National Center for Science Education, www.natcenscied.org, is a national clearinghouse for information on evolution in the science classroom. The website contains background information on the anti-gevolution movement, detailed information on the Creation/Evolution controversy from 1859 to the present, and resources for parents, teachers, school boards, and the general public.

The National Science Teachers Association website provides both historical and legal background on the evolution issue in science classrooms and includes recommendations for addressing this issue, as well as other references. www.nsta.org/about/positions/evolution.aspx.

Biointeractive website contains downloadable lesson plans, access to free educator resources including videos, animations, virtual labs, etc. Part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant. http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/index.html

Evolution and the Nature of Science Institutes lessons o ut o a d t e atu e o Sc e ce st tutes esso sand other useful resources on evolution and the nature of science put together by a group from Indiana University. http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/home.html

Florida Citizens for Science provides links to several good sites that help explain evolution.p p

http://www.flascience.org/sciedlinks.html

PBS/WGBH id t l ti f t h t i PBS/WGBHs guide to evolution for teachers contains lesson ideas embedded within each topic as well as useful short video clips. http://www pbs org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachsthttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/tguide.html

BSCS C t f C i l D l t h l BSCS Center for Curriculum Development - has several excellent programs with activities for the classroom.http://www.bscs.org/curriculumdevelopment/highscho

l/ l ti /ol/evolution/

Florida Museum of Natural Historys Cyber Horse provides a good description of horse evolution to use as an example. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fhc/firstCM.htm

Making Sense of Secondary Science Research Into Making Sense of Secondary Science Research Into Childrens Ideas by Rosalind Driver, et. al. This book was given to MSSI Teams in Year 1 and contains a summary of research into student ideas and misconceptions. Refer to the chapter on reproduction and inheritance to explore other studentchapter on reproduction and inheritance to explore other student misconceptions.

Note: A quick Google internet search of any science q g yconcept and misconceptions will result in multiple website resources.

SeasonsSeasonsFor resources on this topic, see -http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sseason.htm

and http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/980211f.html

or for a really nice animation, seehttp://www.astro.illinois.edu/projects/data/Seasons/seasons.html

Legal IssuesLegal Issues

Moore, Randy, 2004. How Well Do Biology , y, gyTeachers Understand the Legal Issues Associated with the Teaching of Evolution? BioScience, 54 (September 2004): 860-865.( p )

For a review of the relevant case law, go to TheNational Center for Science EducationNational Center for Science Education, www.natcenscied.org

Comments, Questions and Discussion?Comments, Questions and Discussion?

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MSSI Evolution Misconceptions