The Intersection » Education

Rick Perry Admits That Texas Schools Teach Creationism

The Intersection — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:44:53 +0000

This is a brief guest post by Jamie Vernon.

In a stunning exchange with a young boy, a video posted by ABC News reveals Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry confirming what many scientists and science educators have suspected for years. According to the Governor, “In Texas, we teach both creationism and evolution.”

So, there it is. Texas encourages teaching of creationism in public schools.

Perry has consistently appointed creationist leaders to the Texas Board of Education over the years. Each of them has denied their intent to allow teaching of creationism in science classrooms in Texas schools. At the same time, the Texas Board of Education has made repeated attempts to weaken science standards to make way for anti-evolution curricula.

I think we’ll be hearing from the Governor on this matter. The backtracking will be a sight to see.

Follow Jamie Vernon on Twitter, Google+ or read his occasional blog posts at “American SciCo.”

Attacks on Climate Science in Schools Are Mounting

Chris Mooney — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:30:14 +0000

My latest DeSmog piece is about the classroom climate for climate science teaching–and how poisonous it is getting. It starts like this:

A few months back, those who care about accurate climate science and energy education in high school classes registered a minor victory. Under fire from outlets like The New York Times, the education publishing behemoth Scholastic (of Clifford the Big Red Dog and Harry Potter fame) pulled an energy curriculum sponsored by the American Coal Foundation, which gave a nice PR sheen to coal without bothering to cover, uh, the whole environmental angle. The curriculum had reportedly already been mailed to 66,000 classrooms by the time it got yanked.

When it comes to undermining accurate and responsible climate and energy education at the high school level, Scholastic may have been the most prominent transgressor. But precisely because it is a massive and respected educational publisher, and actually careswhat The New York Times thinks, it was also the most moderate and easy to reason with.

Although it’s hard to find online now, I’ve reviewed the offending coal curriculum, entitled “The United States of Energy.” In my view, it didn’t even contain any obvious falsehoods—except for errors ...

Update: The newly crowned Ms. United States [hearts] science.

The Intersection — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:47:34 +0000

This is a guest blog post from Darlene Cavalier, founder of ScienceCheerleader.com and ScienceForCitizens.net

Last night, Laura Eilers, AKA Ms. Virginia, was crowned MS. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! The Science Cheerleaders–current and former NFL and NBA cheerleaders pursuing science and engineering careers–are very fortunate to have Laura as our extremely talented choreographer and creative director.

In addition to being a former cheerleader for the St. Louis Rams, cheerleader and choreographer for the Kansas City Chiefs, and an NFL Hall of Fame Game Cheerleader, she’s also the creator of Going Pro Entertainment, LLC, a network of professional cheerleading and dance alumni.

In school, her favorite science projects included “creating an amoeba structure out of cookie cake and icing, researching anthropologist Dian Fossey and her work with gorillas, as well as engineering a balsa wood structure that could withstand heavy weights. My team and I tested the structure repeatedly and competed with other schools for the strongest balsa structure.”

And, yes, she “most definitely believes evolution should be taught to our children.”

Congratulations, Laura!

And now, I’d like to turn your attention to a recent blog post written ...

Can Education Teach People to See Their Own Biases?

Chris Mooney — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:26:43 +0000

Whenever I speak, write, or blog (especially blog) about reasoning biases, there’s a common rejoinder. Can’t we use better education to teach people to see past their own blinders?

While I think some kinds of advanced training are indeed about bias control–good journalism, science–in general I’m skeptical that one can make much headway at this in the basic educational system. The reason is that the biases are activated automatically, pre-conscious thought. Indeed, there is published research showing that getting older and more educated doesn’t curtail reasoning biases, and also that we see contradictions and hypocrisy in those we disagree with, not those we agree with.

Yet the plea for better education still persists. Frankly, I chalk the resistance up to that old “Enlightenment ethic” (if only we could make people better educated and get them better information) that is very very hard to dislodge, even when one is citing science to dislodge it.

Now, I don’t know for sure that there is no way to educate away our biases. I’m simply skeptical of it. And I’m not the only one. Let me commit a logical fallacy of my own, the argument from authority. Here’s the University of Virginia’s Jonathan Haidt, who some ...

Paul Revere Rings Bells and Warns British to Let Him Keep His Guns

The Intersection — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:44:25 +0000

By Jon Winsor

I’m a bit late on this, but honestly, when I wrote this post I hadn’t heard about Sarah Palin’s US history gaffe last Friday:

Later, apparently, Palin’s supporters took to Wikipedia and Conservapedia, where I understand Paul Revere is getting a makeover.

Education, Biased Reasoning, and Enlightenment

Chris Mooney — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:44:30 +0000

In the last thread about my upcoming show with Michael Shermer, Sean McCorkle asks a really deep question, or set of questions. Let’s take them in sequence:

What about science education at an age level before undesirable beliefs “set in”? Can something positive be said about early intervention? And what about the quality of education (not just the level)? I’m sure there are a lot of studies that back up #10, but do they treat education as a binary value: yes, person has it, or no they haven’t, tacitly assuming that all individuals have been exposed to the same level of instruction on average? If so, I think that’s a problem. Somewhere on Panda’s Thumb or someplace there was a survey that revealed a high percentage of HS biology teachers who didn’t believe in evolution themselves. So how can we expect their students to receive proper exposure to evolution? I know education quality questions are hard to deal with quantitatively, but I feel they are important, especially before we dismiss science education as a possible cure. Maybe its the disparity of quality of education that really needs to be addressed.

Educational disparities certainly do exist–and they should be addressed. ...

Outraged! Calling All Readers to Stand Up for Science Education

Sheril Kirshenbaum — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:17:28 +0000

The NSF GK-12 program is an outstanding example of an initiative tackling science illiteracy head on. It prepares graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to be better communicators by bringing them into K-12 classrooms. They work closely with students and teachers through hands-on activities and make science real and relevant for the communities where they are instituted. I’ve worked with many students and professionals involved in this wonderful program over the years and have been extremely impressed. Many colleagues and friends who have participated say GK-12 has had a tremendous influence on their trajectories beyond graduate school. As I visit universities to talk about improving science communication, many professors bring up their own experiences with this initiative and praise the way it brings science to students around the country. The only aspect I do not like is that funding at each institution only lasts a few years, so successful programs are unable to continue past the term they are allotted. That said, according to the website, GK-12 has benefited over 10,000 STEM graduate students, 11,000 teachers, 5,000 schools, and as many as 600,000 K-12 students.

I am shocked to learn that NSF has decided to cancel the ...

So You Want Your Child To Succeed? Here’s How

Sheril Kirshenbaum — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:51:29 +0000

“What are the best books for my daughter?” “What kinds of extra curricular programs should my son be enrolled in?”

Dear Parents,

You send so many emails asking, “How do I encourage my child to pursue science?” It’s a noble endeavor, and of course, there’s no end to possible responses. Much depends on what each individual is interested in from marine science to space. While I welcome these inquiries, here’s the best suggestion I can offer: Rather than science specifically, focus on critical thinking!

No matter how advanced a student’s math skills or laboratory technique, it will be her ability to work through problems and develop creative solutions that sets her apart from peers. In other words, parents should do more than going through the motions for standardized test preparation, and begin early. Foster her natural curiosity about the world. Perhaps most importantly, she needs to believe in herself and recognize what she is capable of.

Sure, it sounds a bit cliche, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. More than ever before, our culture poses formidable social obstacles to success. Joe’s is right that “It’s okay to be Smart,” but “smart” doesn’t always seem adequate. Kids are bombarded with billboards, music ...

Origins of Mankind: Canada vs the United States

Sheril Kirshenbaum — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:12:47 +0000

(click to enlarge)

Source: Gallup poll; December 10-12, 2010 and BASE: Canadians; March 15-17, 2011

New Sci Comm Book; Playboy Article Online; and More

Chris Mooney — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:48:42 +0000

I’ve just gotten back from a trip to Brazil, so much as accumulated and this post is essentially a link dump:

1. Playboy article online. My piece on the spirituality of scientists has been put online. Warning: clicking this link may yield a bit in the way of Playboy-type…visuals.

2. Successful Science Communication. Cambridge University Press is preparing a new volume on science communication, and I’m one of the contributors with a chapter on “Dealing with the U.S. Media.” (Tough, I know.) The book won’t be out til September, but you can get a sense of the contents here. Andrew Revkin is also a contributor.

3. Why Johnny Can’t Do Science. There was a spectacular two part series on the problems of U.S. science education in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Mark Roth. I strongly encourage you to read both pieces, here and here.

That’s all for now….