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Insights Into Nature Of Science And Evolution Education, Lawrence C. Scharmann
Insights Into Nature Of Science And Evolution Education, Lawrence C. Scharmann
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications
While the public misunderstanding of evolution is in part due to religious and political motives, it is also a result of didactic teaching. Dr Lawrence C. Scharmann, Professor of Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, specialises in science teacher education. He has been working with non-major biology and science teacher students developing strategies to enhance the teaching and learning of science theories, and in particular, evolution. Many secondary school students and undergraduates hold a dualistic worldview. This leads them to create dichotomies, albeit false ones, such as right vs wrong and science vs religion. These can obstruct their learning science …
Evolution And Nature Of Science Instruction: A First-Person Account Of Changes In Evolution Instruction Throughout A Career, Lawrence C. Scharmann
Evolution And Nature Of Science Instruction: A First-Person Account Of Changes In Evolution Instruction Throughout A Career, Lawrence C. Scharmann
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications
In this article, I provide an analysis of my work (1985–present) with non-major biology students and science teacher candidates in developing strategies for teaching and enhancing learning with respect to evolutionary science. This first-person account describes changes in evolution instruction over the course of a career based on personal experiences, research-informed practices, and a critical collaboration with colleague Mike U. Smith. I assert four insights concerning the influence and efficacy of teaching nature of science (NOS) prior to the introduction of evolution within college courses for science non-majors and science teacher candidates. These insights are: (a) teach explicit NOS principles …
Professional Journals As A Source Of Information About Teaching Nature Of Science: An Examination Of Articles Published In The Journal Of College Science Teaching, 1996-2012, Deepika Menon, Somnath Sinha
Professional Journals As A Source Of Information About Teaching Nature Of Science: An Examination Of Articles Published In The Journal Of College Science Teaching, 1996-2012, Deepika Menon, Somnath Sinha
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications
Recent efforts to reform science education have strongly emphasized the understanding of the nature of science (NOS) as important to achieving broader scientific literacy. Despite the realization that students‘ understanding of NOS is important, there is a gap between research and practice. In order to teach NOS effectively in pre-college or college classrooms, teachers need appropriate activities, examples, and models of instruction that can contribute towards the development of their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching NOS. One widespread and readily-available source teachers may consult to find appropriate models of teaching practice and example activities is professional journals. The present …
Evolution And Personal Religious Belief: Christian University Biology-Related Majors’ Search For Reconciliation, Mark Winslow, John Staver, Lawrence C. Scharmann
Evolution And Personal Religious Belief: Christian University Biology-Related Majors’ Search For Reconciliation, Mark Winslow, John Staver, Lawrence C. Scharmann
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications
The goal of this study was to explore Christian biology-related majors’ perceptions of conflicts between evolution and their religious beliefs. This naturalistic study utilized a case study design of 15 undergraduate biology-related majors at or recent biology-related graduates from a mid-western Christian university. The broad sources of data were interviews, course documents, and observations. Outcomes indicate that most participants were raised to believe in creationism, but came to accept evolution through evaluating evidence for evolution, negotiating the literalness of Genesis, recognizing evolution as a non-salvation issue, and observing professors as Christian role models who accept evolution. This study lends heuristic …