Emory workshop teaches teachers how to teach evolution

Some students burst into tears when a high school biology told them they’d be studying evolution. Another teacher said some students repeatedly screamed “no” when he began talking about it.

Other teachers said students demanded to know whether they pray and questioned why the had to learn about evolution if it was just a theory.

About 60 public high school teachers from the Atlanta area were at Emory University last week, swapping stories about the challenges they face when teaching evolution.

They said students often walk in with grave misconceptions about the subject, and many parents fear teachers will tell kids that they can’t have their religious beliefs.

“I’ve seen churches train students to come to school with specific questions to ask to sabotage my lessons,” said Bonnie Pratt, a biology teacher at Northview High in north Fulton County. “We need parents and the community to understand why and how we teach evolution.”

The teachers were at a workshop on teaching evolution organized by Emory’s Center for Science Education. They discussed ways to teach it and how to address challenges and misconceptions. The training was part of a two-day evolution conference on campus that ended Friday.

Evolution is the scientific explanation for the gradual process that resulted in the diversity of living things.

Teaching evolution has long stoked a debate over science and religion in public schools. Some view it as incompatible with their religious views about how God created the universe and human beings. But many educators and scientists say it’s the basis for biology, which is a gateway course to future studies of life sciences.

These conflicting ideas have battled in Georgia.

State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox triggered debate in 2004 when she proposed striking references to evolution from state science teaching standards. Cox changed her position following public pressure. The State Board of Education later approved standards calling for students to learn evolution and supporting concepts.

In 2002, Cobb County school officials put stickers in science textbooks warning that evolution was a “theory, not a fact.” A judge ordered the district to remove the stickers in 2005, saying they endorsed a particular religious belief.

Teachers at the Emory conference said the challenges they face now come from the communities around their schools, and that they must find ways to confront them. Many said they tell students that regardless of what they believe, they need to know and understand evolution.

A few years ago, Pratt started holding meetings – open to parents, students, church members and others – to address their questions about evolution. She holds the annual session a few weeks before she begins the unit and gets about 200 people.

“It used to be that the whole unit was a struggle, and we were butting heads,” Pratt said. “This meeting helps everyone understand that science teachers are not the enemy. Now, the kids are showing up ready to learn about evolution.”

Other teachers said they try to fix students’ misconceptions. They explain how humans and apes share a common ancestor that no longer exists, not that humans and apes evolved from one another. They say that while “theory” may describe a hunch in everyday language, in science it is defined as an explanation supported by factual evidence to describe events that occur in our world.

Graham Balch, a biology teacher at Grady High in Atlanta, addressed the controversy head-on. He had his students read about Cox’s actions and the response she got. They learned about efforts across the country to water down lessons about evolution and how other public and private schools teach the material. They debated the cause of the conflict and whether evolution should be taught in public schools.

“I wanted to help them feel comfortable and open so they can embrace evolution,” Balch said. “I wanted them to want to learn about evolution and didn’t want them to be afraid.”

A few of Balch’s students attended the Emory workshop. While they doubted all of their classmates believed in evolution, they said there was agreement they needed to learn about it.

Freshman Caitlin Wade said the activity helped her realize she can balance her religious beliefs with her love of science. “I can pray, read my Bible and study science,” she said. “I don’t have to choose.”