Posted on 05/03/2005 2:12:35 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
LOL! 'Some of my best friends are Lutherans...'
The solution: Gould, Gould, Gould, and more Gould. Augment (or even replace) the dry, insipid, boring poorly-written textbooks with:
The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History
Dinosaur in a Haystack : Reflections in Natural History
Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History
Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History
The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History
Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History
Just to name a few.
Many of these books contain lively discussions of the points brought up by Creation Scientists and proponents of Intelligent Design, while continuing to teach extremely interesting details of biology.
If teachers have the right material, the challenges brought into the classroom by doubters-of-evolution can be fun, interesting, and rewarding for all students.
But teachers for the most part lack imagination and the textbooks are leaden, heavy, boring, poorly-written and dull.
Why are students told that Darwin's theory of evolution is a scientific factWhoever wrote this sentence has no idea what a fact is. Or what a theory is. Or why facts and theories aren't in competition with each other. The dry leaden textbooks try to explain it, but Gould explains it brilliantly, in a way that students of any persuasion will remember.
I am an MIT graduate and I have never believed the Darwinian model of ecolutionary development. I am glad that the students referenced do in fact have the proper requisite for scientific understanding, the ability to challenge a scenario that lacks fundamantal proof.
He [Richard Feynman] was asked to participate on a California textbook selection committee that was charged with evaluating textbooks for use in California public schools. He agreed, thinking it was a worthwhile use of his time.When the book depository called and asked where to send the 300 pounds of books, they told him not to worry, they could send over someone to help him read the books. Feynman said he wasn't quite sure how that would work and declined the offer of an assistant.
During the weeks that he was reading texts, he kept getting calls from the publishers. They wanted to take him out to dinner, lunch, wherever he wanted. They wanted to talk over the advantages of their textbook. He kept fending them off, saying he was confident he would be able to read the texts. Moreover, he knew that the teachers wouldn't be receiving this kind of attention so he felt the books should be judged on their own merits.
One book in particular drew his attention. It was one out of a three book series. During a meeting he was asked by some of the other committee members what he thought of the book. He responded that he really couldn't say, that he hadn't received it. One of the members continued to press for an answer. After Feynman repeated himself a second time, a book depository employee piped up and explained that he had elected not to send the book on to the committee members. The publisher had missed the deadline and substituted a book with blank pages instead. They had included a note explaining that the book would be ready in time and hoped it could still be considered.
The amazing part of this story is that several of the committee members had nominated the book for inclusion on the approved list!
Feynman went on to talk about the unsolicited gifts he received from the publishers. He kept sending them back but one incident took him completely by surprise. He had arrived in San Francisco the evening before a committee meeting. He left his hotel room, intending to wander the streets to find a place to eat. As he walked into the lobby, two men popped up, greeted him by name and asked him if they could help him in any way. He explained that he was just going out and no thank you. They persisted. He said, "Look, I'm just going out to get into a bit of trouble." They responded, "Maybe we can help you with that too." He demurred and then later kicked himself for not seeing just how far they would go and documenting the evening.
The source for this story is Feynman's autobiography, "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman..."
Where you went to school and what you choose to believe has absolutely no bearing on what I was saying. I'm confused that you addressed your post to me.
I'm saying something regarding the process in biology class, how to cope with these new challenges while continuing to teach biology in the classroom in the context of increasing doubt about evolution among a large sector of the population.
Doubt is always good, but in a biology classroom, the ongoing study of biology is extremely important. I think teaching biology with Gould's help will not only answer many of the questions of the doubters, but continue to allow those doubters their rights of free expression by encouraging lively discussions on the subject. But all the time, keeping biology in the picture.
Try reading one of those books I just listed and then telling me that the current biology textbooks are adequate.
Try reading one of those books I just listed anyway. Try one. You'll like it.
Thanks for including that example of the utter corruption of the whole textbook procurement process.
The NEA has turned an entire generation of teachers into lazy, self-pleasuring leftists.
The textbook "process" --- which includes "professional educators" as well as the textbook "manufactures" (I refuse to call them writers) --- has provided students with tons of books that are virtual blank pages... or in some cases, actual blank pages.
And one more thing about Gould: he doesn't put scientists up on a pedestal. He's just as critical of "conventional wisdom" among scientists --- past and present --- as he is of the nabobs who think they are saying something meaningful when they declare "evolution is a theory, not a fact".
How heartening to know kids these days aren't afraid to question evolution. I predict evolution will eventually go the way of the dinosaurs!
I found that very interesting too.
Text book publishing is big money.
And most publishing houses are very LIBERAL.
Thanks for the interesting post.
Which is another reason (besides violence in schools) why so many teacher leave. There is little intellectual simulation from their fellow teachers.
Another day...
It's a good lesson to look up lesson plans on the Internet. You'll be surprised how "easy" they make it for teachers to pass along a point of view.
Are you saying you don't believe in evolution, or you don't believe in the Darwinian model of evolution?
And what was your degree from MIT in? Engineering?
Scientists are human (shhh - some don't know that) and too often, will defend a pet theory regardless of new information.
What I didn't like about this article was the apparent view that teachers should never be challenged. The little mush-heads should just sit there an absorb whatever information the teacher provides and never question it in any way.
Yes.
One learns from asking questions and challenging conventional wisdom.
That way you learn how to think.
The thing about "pet theories", however, is they have a way of cancelling each other out, and whithering away, especially over a time-span of decades. Someone once said that old scientists never change their mind, they just die off. Something like that. But anyway, the process of science is as important to understand as the subjects of science themselves, and Gould is excellent at putting the process in the spotlight, and the practitioners in the hot-seat.
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