Difficulties in Teaching and Learning of Evolution
Leading team:
- Dr. Merav Siani
- Prof. Anat Yarden
Secretariat and Administration:
Lior SadeBrief
As of 2016, the topic of evolution has been a part of the biology curriculum in high schools and of the science and technology curriculum in junior high schools. Thus, a need arose to investigate whether there are difficulties in teaching and learning of this topic that is considered a controversial topic among various sectors in Israel and worldwide. The study raised theological and pedagogical difficulties in teaching and learning evolution. Following these findings, it was required to start teacher training courses on the topic of evolution and thus enrich the scientific and pedagogical knowledge of the high school biology and the junior high school science and technology teachers. Furthermore, a need arose to suggest a way to teach evolution as a part of the genetics curriculum in order to lower opposition to evolution among students. Additionally, three online student centered activities dealing with human evolution were developed, and translated to English, since human evolution is a less known topic among teachers. The activities were developed in the PeTeL (Personalized Teaching and Learning) LMS (Learning Management System) environment. In the near future we intend to develop diagnostic questionnaires in the PeTeL environment in order to analyze students’ alternative conceptions regarding evolution and later on develop activities that shall deal with these alternative conceptions.
Further reading:
- Siani, M., & Yarden, A. (2020). Evolution? I Don’t Believe in It. Theological Tensions Surrounding the Implementation of Evolution in the Israeli Curricula. Science & Education, 29:411- 441.
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Siani, M., & Yarden, A. (2022). Introducing evolution of the human lactase gene using an online interactive activity. The American Biology Teacher, 84(1), 16-21.
Siani, M., Stahi-Hitin, R., & Yarden, A. (2022). Student Opposition to Learning Evolution and how Teachers Deal with this Following a Teacher Training Course. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 33(7), 764-785.
Siani, M., & Yarden, A. (2022). “I Think that Teachers Do Not Teach Evolution Because It Is Complicated”: Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Evolution in Israel. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 20(3), 481-501.
Siani, M., & Yarden, A. (2022) Opportunities to deal with human evolution. In: Learning Evolution through Socioscientific Issues. Aveiro: UA Editora.
Stahi-Hitin, R., & Yarden, A. (2022). Scientists’ and teachers’ attitudes toward relating to religion when teaching evolution. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 15(1), 18-31.
Stahi-Hitin, R., & Yarden, A. (2022). Should high-school biology teachers relate to students’ religious faith when teaching evolution? The perspective of Jewish teachers. International Journal of Science Education, 44(7), 1186-1207.
Stahi-Hitin, R., & Yarden, A. (2022). Evolution education in light of religious science teachers’ and scientists’ conceptions of evolution and religion. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 15(1), 1-16.