Evolution vs. Creationism Taught in the Classroom

Evolution vs. Creationism -

In the Classroom

What do you think?

The Great Debate

Should the idea of intelligent design—or at least the mention of its existence—have a place in science classrooms throughout the country?

Should Evolution be taught in school?

Should Creationism be taught in school?

Should schools teach one over the other? Or should they teach both?

Why?

Evolution

Creationism

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution proposed that all living things can be traced to the same microscopic organisms. This form of life changed and mutated over time, with natural selection explaining the survival of the strongest of the species.

Intelligent design questions evolution as the answer for the creation of the universe because too many aspects of evolution cannot be explained by natural selection, arguing for an "intelligent cause" to instead logically account for the creation of all things.

Survey Results

Court Involvement

The data was collected from 926 nationally representative participants in the National Survey of High School Biology Teachers, which polled them on what they taught in the classroom and how much time they spent on each subject. They also noted the teachers' personal feelings on creationism and evolution.

The battle over intelligent design reached the courts in 2005, when a district court judge struck down a statement endorsing intelligent design as violating the separation between church and state.

Many teachers among the 60 percent that kept evolution instruction brief. They explained that they wanted to avoid confrontation with students and parents who believe in creationism. In many cases, their own evolution knowledge was also limited.

At the opposite extreme, 13 percent of teachers explicitly endorse creationism or intelligent design, and spend at least on hour of class time presenting it in a positive light. An additional 5 percent reported that they support creationism in passing or when answering students' questions.

2009

The remaining fraction of teachers, dubbed the "cautious 60 percent," avoids choosing sides. Often these teachers have not taken courses in evolutionary biology and lack confidence in their ability to answer questions from skeptical or hostile students and parents.

2008

The Texas State Board of Education voted to allow school districts to include critiques and analysis of scientific topics taught to students, which would pave the way for the mention of intelligent design.

Seventeen percent of teachers surveyed did not cover human evolution at all in their biology class, whereas a majority of teachers (60%) spent between 1 and 5 hours of class time on it.

The Louisiana Legislature passed the Louisiana Science Education Act, which mandates the Board of Education to "assist teachers, principals and other school administrators to create and foster . . . critical thinking skills, logical analysis and open and objective discussion of scientific theories."

Website

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/31/evolution-vs-creationism-_n_815664.html

A Case for Evolution - Daniel Mach, director of litigation

The Constitution forbids promoting religion in school.

Case for Creationism - Casey Luskin, policy analyst for the Discovery Institute

The Constitution forbids promoting religion in school. "The Constitution bars public school teachers from advancing theology by presenting scientific disagreements where none legitimately exists," Mach said. The Establishment Clause "sensibly forbids the government and especially public schools from taking sides in theological debates. Those are properly left to individual and families, not bureaucrats and public school officials," Mach said.

Intelligent design is not science.

Other viewpoints about evolution should be introduced in school.

Intelligent design is not science. There is no credible scientific body that supports intelligent design because it is not a scientific theory, Mach said. "These are the latest steps in a long series of religiously motivated attacks on the teaching of evolution in public schools. Science class can and should be grounded by the rules of science. These are attempts to manufacture scientific controversy."

Science is alive and well in school.

This is not a debate about intelligent design vs. evolution and which is right and which is wrong. This is about "whether students will learn about scientific criticisms of evolution in school."

Science is alive and well in school. True scientific criticism should be taught in school. But he disagreed that intelligent design deserves even a mention in school because it is religion and not science. "Look, public schools already encourage critical thinking by students and scientifically sound theories are already allowed in school."

Why not teach both?

The real argument is religious freedom.

"I also think students should learn about the evidence that challenges Darwin."

Excluding intelligent design promotes bad science.

The reason intelligent design isn't taught in classrooms is that students should not be bullied into believing an agenda presented by the teacher, principal or school district. "The government itself must steer clear of any religious endorsements."

"Part of science is debate and asking hard questions. "The day we stop asking hard questions (like criticisms of evolution) is the day science fails our society. Parents should be concerned that students are being misinformed and not being taught to think like scientists." -

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/evolution-intelligent-design-classroom/?page=2

photo credit Nasa / Goddard Space Flight Center / Reto Stöckli