Teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to teach evolution
Rushda:
October 6th, 2007
A leading scientist has warned that teaching evolution may no longer be as straightforward as before, as Creationism is becoming increasingly popular. Apparently around one in ten people in the UK now reject evolutionary theory and this is said to be partly due to the rise in Muslim students in classes.
Professor Michael Reiss, who is head of science at London’s Institute of Education and also a Church of England priest, believes that teachers may need to start approaching the topic with a lot more sensitivity as the theory of evolution can’t be taken for granted in the same way as before. He says that as a result of the increasing popularity of Creationism in classes, some teachers fear teaching evolution and some avoid it completely. This is worrying, he says, as it could mean that many students will have gaps in their scientific knowledge. Furthermore, he says the reason for the change is that there are more Muslim students who take the topic very seriously:
“The number of Muslim students has grown considerably in the last 10 to 20 years and a higher proportion of Muslim families do not accept evolutionary theory compared with Christian families. That’s one reason why it’s more of an issue in schools. The days have long gone when science teachers could ignore Creationism when teaching about origins.”
Reiss states that the best way forward is to reach a compromise by teaching everyone the details of the theory but not alienating students who don’t accept it. He argues that every student should at least know what evolutionary theory is, even if they don’t believe it. This will also make sure they learn to respect other people’s beliefs as well. He also says that Creationism should not be discussed in classrooms unless it is brought up by a student.
The issue is indeed a controversial one as evolution is a sensitive topic that everyone has a different stance on. Recent guidelines have in fact been published, however, which tell teachers how to deal with the issue. As a spokesman from the Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman says:
“Creationism and intelligent design are not scientific theories nor testable as scientific fact - and have no place in the science curriculum. But we advise science teachers that when questions about Creationism come up in lessons, it provides an opportunity to explain or explore what makes a scientific theory.”
This is perhaps the best resolution we can come to for now, but no doubt not everyone will be happy.
October 9th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
This makes an effective shocking headline but I doubt there is any genuine trend against teaching evolution.
Children should be taught the truth. Gone are the days when a religion (any religion) can make unsubstantiated claims such as those of Creationism. It worked a few hundred years ago when most people knew no better. But today the research clearly shows that species’ have and continue to evolve. Any religion that continues to preach otherwise damages its own credibility by doing so.
A Christian follower knocked on my door a few weeks ago hoping to spread the word of the Lord. We had an interesting chat and one of the things he told me about was Noah and his Ark. This is a fairytale story that was made up to illustrate a point. It can be easier to communicate something by turning it into a story. But this man actually believed that there was a man called Noah and that he led animals onto the ark, two by two. He also believed that Adam and Eve were two real people. He didn’t get the point that they are just stories to illustrate things like morals and what is right or wrong.
Stories like Noah and the Ark and concepts such as Creationism do serve a purpose, but they should not be taken literally. In today’s information-free world, proselytising them as fact only make you look like a misguided soul.
October 9th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
It is a shocking headline but unfortunately I can entirely see where it is coming from. It is the case that the rise in Muslim students (who believe evolution is false) will inevitably cause trouble in the classroom. How would anyone like being told that what their religion says is false? And that is effectively what teaching evolution is doing for many of these children who have all been brought up believing that God created all species. To say that the days are gone when any religion can claim Creationism is severely denying the faith of millions of people who do get taught it instead of evolution in many parts of the world.
With the Noah and his Ark example - I can see your point that he probably took too literally a point which is generally seen as more of a metaphor in Christian teachings. However, it must be said that in Islam, everything is taken as literal by the vast majority of its followers. To say that people are interpreting things wrongly is not really the position of a liberal agnostic - leave the interpretation to those who believe the religion.
I think your view is a little presumptuous as Creationists do believe that Creationism is the truth! No one is saying that children should be taught lies. The whole point is that there is a strong conflict in opinions here and by dogmatically insisting one side is right, you can’t win agreement.
Evolution isn’t so obviously right that people who don’t believe it are automatically stupid. I myself reject Creationist views but at the same time I accept that there are various things that Evolution can’t explain and therefore there are able Creationists who can defend their position.