Evolution

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin

BIOLOGY 702 – Teaching Evolution: Online Course for Teachers

Instructor: Dr. Mildred A. Hoover, Assistant Professor, Biology Department

Telephone: (978) 542-7905 Office: MH 416

Email: mhoover@salemstate.edu

Description: Evolution is one of the most important and most widely misunderstood concepts in science. This online course helps science teachers and anyone interesting in learning more about evolution deepen their understanding of evolutionary concepts.

Prerequisites: BA or BS in a Natural Science and prior permission of the instructor. Within the context of this course, students must be prepared to use PowerPoint, Web Publishing, MSExcel, MSWord, spreadsheets for record keeping and data analysis, Internet search and retrieval, and abide by copyright laws.

Goals:

• Use theoretical basis and strategies to improve teaching and learning about evolution in secondary school classrooms through education technologies.
• To initiate and develop a scholarly paper about some aspect of teaching evolution with bibliographic emphasis on primary sources of data.

Topics:

• Explore teaching methodologies and address obstacles to teaching evolution
• Examine how student misconceptions about evolution can be raised and addressed
• Integrating assessment strategies into inquiry-based science lessons
• Examine how questions facilitate diverse student thinking about science
• Examine how lesson design, instructional strategies, and the learning environment affect science learning experiences for diverse students
• Identify strategies to develop a respectful, productive learning environment.
• Understand legal and professional support for teaching evolution
• Learn strategies for minimizing conflict about the teaching of and perception of the idea of evolution by diverse students.
• Engage in reflective practices and improving the use of technology in the design of instruction.