Project Teach Evolution

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In this project faculty members from the Biology and Education Departments and their graduate students at the University of Missouri have collaborated to develop a course, "Teach Evolution," offered to future middle- and high-school teachers in the state. Of particular interest are those who teach in rural or small-town districts, where they are often the only science teacher or biology teacher in the district, and where inadequate preparation and outside pressure combine to discourage them from tackling this fundamental scientific concept. The teachers are being surveyed to assess their needs, both content knowledge and pedagogy, so that the course addresses those needs as directly as possible. Using the accepted educational practice of "backwards design," the team specifies the learning goals as drawn from the results of the survey, measures are developed to assess whether the goals are being met, and the structure of the course is then developed to include activities that will develop the desired learning outcomes. Students in the course include pre-service biology education students, graduate students returning to the University to earn alternative teacher certification, and in-service teachers seeking to strengthen their content knowledge. The diversity of experience generates a rich conversation among them. Included in the course are aspects of the social and philosophical impact of evolution and discussion of the challenges those bring to the teaching of the subject. Once trained, the new teachers become part of a virtual community, the MoEvolves Network, in which they can share on line their challenges, successes, and teaching tips with others facing similar circumstances. Because of the influence of effective secondary school teachers on the mind-sets of their students, the Teach Evolution course and its support network will have a disproportionate influence on science literacy in exurban Missouri.