Presents the history of the theory of evolution and states that the creationist world view had been abandoned by even religious scientists before 1859. Argues that the public's perception of evolution could be improved by presenting a more complete picture of the theory's development, emphasizing the contributions of Christian--often…

Addresses the problem of school-sponsored assemblies featuring guest speakers who present creation science on school premises. A science teacher who spoke at a follow-up assembly established two goals: (1) to present authoritative information about evolution; and (2) to help students evaluate the creation speaker's arguments against evolution.…

Summarizes a study evaluating state standards in science. The treatment of evolution, which varies tremendously in quality from state to state, is discussed at length. In some states--Arizona for example--evolution is completely ignored in the life sciences. Highlights local political battles. Describes good evolution curricula in Connecticut,…

Summarizes some approaches that have been used to help personalize instruction and create a motivational learning environment in a large, two-semester, introductory college biology course. (DDR)

Outlines some thoughts on the teaching versus research issue and offers some suggestions for improving the situation. Defines creative scholarship and speculates on the purpose of higher education. (DDR)

Describes how science teachers want to be better informed about evolution/creation beliefs. Evaluates how sharing such information with students and their community may clear the way for teaching about evolution. (CCM)

Discusses Denton's transformation from biological typologist in 1985 to anti-Darwinian evolutionist in 1998. Argues that Denton is in step with the group of neocreationists whose tenants are denoted by the term "intelligent design". (CCM)

Suggests that the title of the recent Larson and Witham article in the journal Nature, "Leading Scientists Still Reject God", is premature and without reliable data upon which to base it. (Author/CCM)

Reflects on the place of evolution in the social and life sciences. Evaluates the relationship between science and religion. (CCM)

Studies children's knowledge as revealed in extended conversations. Describes four types of conversations with young children who are learning science and technology. Contains 22 references. (DDR)

Used a three-phase constructivist teaching sequence in a graduate-level elementary science methods course to improve preservice teachers' knowledge of density and to provide a model for approaching the teaching of science. Reports that the preservice teachers (n=23) showed gains in content knowledge and self-reported confidence levels. (Author/JRH)

Describes the experiences of five mature-age preservice elementary teachers in a semester unit of science education designed to help teachers examine and make explicit their ideas about science and science teaching. Reports that the teachers expressed a need for a supportive environment in which concepts were built gradually and introduced using…

Documents and interprets the use of an electronic mail discussion group in a graduate elementary science education course (n=13). Feedback indicates that student interest in communication technology was piqued by the use of the discussion group and it enhanced communication and community formation. Instructor insights focus on the pedagogical and…

Investigates preservice elementary teachers' science process skills and the questioning strategies used during a discovery science lesson. Results indicate that subjects with a high level of competency in the science process skills asked significantly more questions and demonstrated an increased use of divergent, high-level, and…

Examines preservice elementary teachers' constructs for analyzing their own conceptual change classroom practice. Reports that the candidates used six student-oriented and seven teacher-oriented evaluation criteria and the five most frequent categories were all student-oriented. Suggests that the candidates were using a constructivist framework to…