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Informative Essay On Science Curriculum

1645 Words7 Pages

Controversial Topics Clouding
Science Curriculum
BY: Christian Williams
SUNY CORTLAND - 2017 Introduction Creationism. Global warming. Side effects of immunizations. Eggs/coffee/red meat in a healthy diet. Stem cell research. In-vitro fertilization. These topics are all potential tripping points for teachers. As a teacher, you need to teach to the curriculum and standards your district wants you to but on the other hand, where do these examples fit into the curriculum or do they fit in at all? This topic is one that has no right answer but definite sides about how and what to teach. You as a teacher must toe the line and walk delicately as not to step on any students’ toes. You cannot teach with personal biases, nor hidden agendas. …show more content…

It is the basis behind the doctrine for several religions. As a teacher, most curriculum/standards do not include this view due to the concentration on theory of evolution. Science is not based in belief, it is counterintuitive to the scientific process (Taber, 2016). Believing that a male mammal created the Earth in 7 days is a personal belief with little proof to back it up. It may be true, but it is not for me to say one way or another if it is or isn’t. The same can be said about evolution. There is proof to back it up but it is not an infallible answer to why there are fish and birds. To one group it is their belief structure, to the other it is a viable explanation for animal existence. The curriculum states to teach evolution, so where does that leave creationism? You can look at it in two ways: ethically based and equality based. Ethically, do you have the obligation to your students to at least explain the differing view (Fredericks & Miller, 1993)? Do you risk going from the chosen path to give time to other views? If you do, is the precedent set for future controversial talks? If you explain one religions’ creation story, do you explain others? This is just one controversial idea. As a teacher you must ask yourself, is it worth bringing up off-curriculum topics? So, say you do decide to talk about creationism, into how much detail do you go? You would like to give it equal time in class, but due …show more content…

(2014, April 1). Choose Controversies Wisely: When Teaching Scientific Argumentation, Selecting the Wrong Topic Can Impair-Rather Than Increase-Student Understanding. The Science Teacher.
Fredericks, M., & Miller, S. I. (1993). Truth in Packaging: Teaching Controversial Topics Undergraduates in the Human Sciences. Teaching Sociology, 21(2), 160. doi:10.2307/1318637
Heering, P. (2010). False Friends: What Makes a Story Inadequate for Science Teaching? Interchange, 41(4), 323-333. doi:10.1007/s10780-010-9133-0
Kus, Z. (2015). Science and Social Studies Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices about Teaching Controversial Issues: Certain Comparisons. Journal Of Social Science Education, 14(3), 84-97.
Settlage, J. (2007). Demythologizing Science Teacher Education: Conquering the False Ideal of Open Inquiry. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 18(4), 461-467. doi:10.1007/s10972-007-9060-9
Taber, K. S. (2016). Knowledge, beliefs and pedagogy: how the nature of science should inform the aims of science education (and not just when teaching evolution). Cultural Studies of Science Education, 12(1), 81-91.

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