Controversial Topics
in STEM Education
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council
Jay Labov
Senior Advisor for Education and Communication
National Academy of Sciences
Washington, DC
http://nationalacademies.org
University of North Carolina, Asheville
August 3, 2014
Examples of Current Controversial Topics in
K-12 Education
(whether or not you think so)
• EVOLUTION
• GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
• Stem Cells
• Human Cloning
• What Constitutes Science
• Others in Your State or Community?
Many neuroscience issues abut against
human values
The nature of the mind
Mind-body-soul concepts
Free will vs. determinism
The ability for anyone to look into your brain and
watch your mind in action
Darkest secret thoughts
Lie detecting
Courtesy of Alan Leshner, Exeuctive Director
More…..
Other issues are coming
Ability to predict behaviors
Mind-reading
Understanding of consciousness
Ability to treat disorders
Ability to enhance behavioral performance
Moral enhancement?
All are potentially contentious
Courtesy of Alan Leshner, Exeuctive Director
Why and How Public Communication - July 20, 2011
An array of issues within science are not
going so well…and negatively affect the
broader (societal) context for science
Incidents of scientific misconduct
Human subjects concerns
Animal welfare issues
Conflict of interest problems
Publishing by press release
Hyperbolic or exaggerated claims
Appearing to suppress dissenting views
Courtesy of Alan Leshner, Exeuctive Director
“Nothing in biology
makes sense
except in the light of
evolution.”
Theodesius Dobzhansky
1973
The scientific evidence supporting biological
evolution continues to grow
Scientists have caught a fossil
fish in the act of adapting
toward a life on land, a
discovery that sheds new light
on one of the greatest
transformations in the history
of animals.
NY Times, April 2006
PBS/HHMI Three Part Series:
Your Inner Fish
Your Inner Reptile
Your Inner Primate
A New Kind of Ancestor:
Ardipithecus Unveiled
The oldest known hominin
skeleton reveals the body
plan of our very early
ancestors and the upright
origins of humankind
October 2, 2009
Ardipithecus ramidus
Unexpected anatomy. Ardi has an opposable toe (left) and
flexible hand (right); her canines (top center) are sized
between those of a human (top left) and chimp (top right);
and the blades of her pelvis (lower left) are broad like
Lucy’s (yellow). (lower left) are broad like Lucy's
(yellow). A. Gibbons Science 326, 36-40 (2009)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/
http://humanorigins.si.edu/
…
But Creationism (including
Intelligent Design) is Alive and Well
• It continues to “evolve” with
court decisions as the
“selective” process.
– Scientific Creationism
– Intelligent Design
– “Teach the Controversy”
– “Academic Freedom”
Leading Proponents of
Creationism
• Intelligent Design
– The Discovery
Institute (Seattle)
• Creationism
- Institute for Creation
Research (Dallas)
- Answers in
Genesis/Creation
Museum (Kentucky)
Understanding Perceptions
about Evolution and
Human-Induced Climate Change
Public
Acceptance of
Evolution in 34
Countries,
from a 2005
Survey
Question:
“Human beings, as we
know them, developed
from earlier species of
animals”
Source: Miller et al., 2006. Science,
313:765-766.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/21814/evolution-creationism-intelligent-design.asp x
http://www.gallup.com/poll/145286/Four-Americans-Believe-Strict-Creationism.aspx
http://www.gallup.com/poll/145286/Four-Americans-Believe-Strict-Creationism.aspx
Changing Public Opinions About Global
Climate Change
Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Oct. 22, 2009
http://people-press.org/report/556/global-warming
Changing Public Opinions About Global
Climate Change
Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Oct. 22, 2009
http://people-press.org/report/556/global-warming
http://www.ipsosglobaltrends.com/environment.html
http://pewresearch.org/databank/dailynumber/?NumberID=902
http://pewresearch.org/databank/dailynumber/?NumberID=902
In Iowa – March, 2009:
•House File 183, the “Evolution Academic Freedom Act,” died in
committee in the Iowa House of Representatives on March 13, 2009.
•The bill purported to protect the right of teachers in the state's public schools
and instructors in the state's public community colleges and state universities to
"objectively present scientific information relevant to the full range of scientific
views regarding biological and chemical evolution in connection with teaching
any prescribed curriculum regarding chemical or biological evolution…"
•They "shall not be disciplined, denied tenure, terminated, or otherwise
discriminated against" for doing so.
•The bill added, although students "shall be evaluated based upon their
understanding of course materials through standard testing procedures," they
"shall not be penalized for subscribing to a particular position or view regarding
biological or chemical evolution."
And in Texas, March 2009
The Texas State Board of Education agreed on March 27,
2009 to adopt the following ‘compromise’ language for
the Texas State Science Standards:
"In all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific
explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and
experimental observation and testing, including examining all sides
of scientific evidence of those explanations so as to encourage
critical thinking by the students."
Los Alamitos AP class must present
both views of global warming
LOS ALAMITOS – A new high school advanced placement
class that addresses global warming has prompted the school
board to start requiring teachers to present opposing views in
courses that include controversial topics.
"There are two clearly divergent opinions on global warming," [School Board
Member] Barke said in an interview. "There are those who believe that global
warming is a fact, created by man's impact on the environment and the
consequences will be devastating. There are others on the conservative side who
believe it's much ado about nothing. It's overhyped and politically motivated, and
the science is not solid, and there's room for more studies."
Source: Orange County Register - May 16, 2011
http://www.ocregister.com/news/-300559--
.html?plckFindCommentKey=CommentKey:9162cfb3-be86-4da4-a114-627c954c8f05
NSTA Survey Indicates Science Teachers Feel
Pressure to Teach Nonscientific Alternatives to
Evolution
• 31% of teachers responding said they feel such
pressure.
• Most of the pressure is coming from
– students (22%)
– parents (20%).
National Science Teachers Association, March 24, 2005
http://www.iconsofevolution.com/tools/questions.php3
Science, January 27, 2011, pp. 404-405
http://sciencemag.org
Evolution vs. creationism: Does this cartoon belong
in Grady High School biology class?
July 3, 2014
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/lousy-lesson-atlanta-biology-teacher-
faces-backlash-over-offensive
“I am always amazed at how
evolution and creationism are
treated as if they are right or
wrong. They are both belief
systems that can never be truly or
fully proved or discredited.”
Illinois Biology Teacher
Defeating Creationism in the Data from National Survey of
Courtroom, But Not in the Classroom High School Biology Teachers
http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/03/researchers-challenge-eo-
wilson.html?etoc
1998
These reports can be freely downloaded as pdf files at
http://nap.edu
http://nap.edu/sec
Audiences
Opinion Leaders and
“Influentials”
- K-12 and Postsecondary
Science Faculty
- School Board Members and
Other Education Leaders
- Local, State & National Policy
Makers
- Business leaders
- Religious leaders
- Medical professionals
- Lawyers & Judges
- Scientists
Audience Research
•To determine which messages
have the most impact in terms
of clarifying why Intelligent
Design/ Creationism should not
be taught in public school
science classrooms.
•To assess reactions to
Science, Evolution and
Creationism, and the
companion summary brochure.
Audience Research
Methodology
•Focus Groups
•Columbia SC
•Fort Wayne IN
•Telephone Survey
•In-depth Interviews
•Web Survey
Audience Research
Selected Findings
Strongest messages in both rounds
of research
•Invoke the role of evolution in making
advances in medicine and curing diseases
•The compatibility of religious faith and
acceptance of evolution
•One’s personal religious viewpoints should
not be imposed on public school students
A key framing point
Science class should help students to understand how science
works and how scientists do their jobs. Evolution is a core
scientific principle that is foundational to many areas of science and
helps scientists make technological developments, like curing
disease.
Biological evolution is the central organizing
principle of modern biology
Evolution in Medicine:
Combating New Infectious Diseases
Evolution in Agriculture:
Evolution in Industry:
The Domestication of Wheat
Putting Natural Selection to Work
Common structures and behaviors
reveal that species have evolved from
common ancestors
• Homologous
• Analogous
More Kinds of Evidence
Developmental
Biology
Similar regulatory
genes are known
to control body
patterns in very
different kinds of
organisms.
Time is of the Essence
(Very, very, very, very, very, very long times)
How long could it take to produce 1,000 generations?
How many generations might occur in a million years?
Generations per
1 Generation 1,000 Generations
Million Years
8.7 billion to
Bacteria 1,000 hours (42 days) 370.4 million
1 hour to 1 day to 2.7 years 370,400,000
Pets: dog/cat 2 years 2,000 years 500,000
Humans 22 years 22,000 years 45,000
Changing the Definition of Science
(Kansas)
Revision to Kansas Science Education Standards,
enacted November 8, 2005, changes definition of
“science” from "seeking natural explanations” for
what we observe around us,"
to
"continuing investigation that uses observation,
hypothesis testing, measurement, experimentation,
logical argument and theory building to lead to more
adequate explanations of natural phenomena."
Definition of Science
from the National Academy of Sciences and
Institute of Medicine
The use of evidence to construct
testable explanations and predictions
of natural phenomena, as well as the
knowledge generated through this
process.
Is Evolution A Theory
or a Fact?
Page 11
Acceptance of the Evidence for Evolution Can
Be Compatible with Religious Faith
Statements from Religious Leaders
Acceptance of the Evidence for Evolution Can
Be Compatible with Religious Faith
Statements from Scientists
Creationism on Trial
Landmark federal
court cases have
ruled that
creationism and,
more recently
intelligent design
creationism are
religious rather
than scientific and
therefore
unconstitutional to
teach in public
school science
classrooms.
Frequently Asked
Questions about
Science
• Is evolution a theory or a fact?
• Can random biological changes lead to more
adapted organisms?
• What evidence is there that the universe is billions of
years old?
• What’s wrong with teaching critical thinking of
“controversies” with regard to evolution?
• Aren’t there many questions that still surround
evolution?
Frequently Asked
Questions about
Science and Religion
• Aren’t evolution and religion opposing ideas?
• Isn’t belief in evolution also a matter of faith?
• What are common ideas regarding
creationism?
• Wouldn’t it be “fair” to teach creationism
along with evolution?
• Does science disprove religion?
“I think you should be more explicit in step two”
“No doubt about it, Ellington--we’ve mathematically expressed the purpose of
the universe. Gad, how I love the thrill of scientific discovery!”
Science isn’t a tall stack of hard
facts; it’s a difficult and deeply
human process that lurches toward
an approximation of the truth.
Joel Achenbach
Washington Post, page A1
July 24, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/bicep2-experiments-big-bang-controversy-highlights-challenges-for-
modern-science/2014/07/23/707bc9e6-02c6-11e4-b8ff-89afd3fad6bd_story.html
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/
Glossary of Terms Used in
Teaching About the Nature of Science
• Fact: In science, an observation that has been
repeatedly confirmed.
• Law: A descriptive generalization about how some
aspect of the natural world behaves under stated
circumstances.
• Hypothesis: A testable statement about the natural
world that can be used to build more complex
inferences and explanations.
• Theory: In science, a well-substantiated explanation
of some aspect of the natural world that can
incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested
hypotheses.
