Theory of evolution to be given a boost!
Posted by Science Oxford on October 27, 2009 | comments
This is good news. New educational resources are to be made available to help with the teaching of the theory of evolution.
This news comes after a recent study conducted by the British Council has shown some interesting results to how people think evolution should be taught in schools.
The study showed 75% of people thought evolution by natural selection should be taught in schools, with only 9% saying it should not be taught at all. Though a surprisingly high percentage believe that evolution should be taught alongside other theories such as intelligent design and creationism.
Hopefully these new resources will increase the public’s awareness of evolution; read on to find out more:
The British Council is launching a comprehensive range of international education resources for schools, museums and science centres as part of its global Darwin Now programme.
The announcement coincides with the opening of the International Symposium on Evolution and Education at the National Science Learning Centre on Monday 26 October, 2009. The event has been organised by the British Council in association with the Wellcome Trust, the National Science Learning Centre and the Natural History Museum.
The education resources can be freely adapted for the school curriculum and contain lesson plans for pupils aged between 5 – 18 years of age who are studying the celebrated British naturalist’s theory of evolution by natural selection, and its impact on modern science. These resources have been designed to appeal to pupils and teachers across a range of subjects such as drama, science, philosophy, art & design, geography, languages and music.
Translated into more than ten languages so far, the resources are aimed at supporting existing curricula whilst providing teachers with educational aides that not only aim to inspire pupils about evolution, but also to encourage scientific experimentation and observation.
Developed in association with the Wellcome Trust and Kew Gardens, an expanded version of some of these resources in the form of an educational kit box, have already been distributed to most schools in the UK.
Head of the British Council’s Darwin Now programme, Dr Fern Elsdon-Baker, said: ‘The British Council is more than ever globally active in education programmes that stimulate inter-cultural dialogue that is respectful of faith and belief. The Darwin Now education resources are freely available and designed to encourage open debate and discussion around Charles Darwin’s theories. This is in response to an increased interest in evolution both in and out of the classroom as we mark the double centenary of 200 years since his birth and 150 years since the publication of Origin of Species by Natural Selection.’The launch of the international educational materials coincides with the publication of the findings of a global British Council survey into levels of awareness of Charles Darwin and attitudes towards evolution. The research, conducted by Ipsos MORI, surveyed over ten thousand adults across ten countries worldwide including Argentina, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Great Britain and the USA.
The global survey revealed that the majority of respondents surveyed think that evolution should be taught as part of science lessons*. In Great Britain, 75 percent (global average 63%) of people thought that evolution should be taught in science lessons*, compared with 9 percent (global average 18%) of people who did not.Just over half of adults (54%) in Great Britain thought that evolution should be taught in science lessons alongside other theories, such as intelligent design and creationism. The research however suggests that the more people understand about evolution, the greater their conviction that it should be taught in science lessons in schools*. In Great Britain, where 83% (global average 61%) of respondents had heard of Charles Darwin and knew something about his theory of evolution, 84 per cent in this group, versus 75% across the entire GB population, said evolution should be taught in science lessons in schools.
Across all respondents in the survey who said they had some knowledge of evolutionary theories, the number who thought that it should be taught in schools rose to 77 per cent, up from 63% across the entire population.
The education materials are available for download from the British Council website at: http://darwin.britishcouncil.org/education
What do you think?