New Journal Connects Evolution With Classrooms

Becoming resistant, *developed *resistance, *acquired *new traits, frequently changes: euphemisms for evolution keep people from sounding repetitious, but are so overused that it's now possible to talk about evolution without even naming it. Such habits of language, says University of Santa Cruz evolutionary biologist John Thompson, lead to habits of thought, and thus to a widespread and mistaken belief that evolution is too slow for people to see.

Thompson makes his point in the January 2008 debut issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach, founded by American Museum of Natural History paleontologist Niles Eldredge and his son, Gregory, a special education science teacher in the Bronx. Write the duo,

We have assembled an impressive team of scientists, educational experts, and teachers to form our initial editorial board. Our journal, to be published quarterly, will contain peer-reviewed articles by scientists—generally accompanied by lesson plans; peer-reviewed articles by educators on curriculum and teaching issues; “personal essays”—reflections by scientists and teachers on their thoughts and experiences on a wide range of subject matter; and “collaborative essays” by teams consisting of scientists/scholars writing with teachers to produce materials directly appropriate to classroom use.

The journal reminds me a little bit of my old stomping grounds,
GeneWatch: a bit of a hodgepodge, organized around a central theme, wearing its activism on its sleeve and ultimately pretty useful.

For the record, I actually disagree with Thompson's conclusions. He's right to be concerned that sloppy language leads to sloppy thinking, but replacing the multiplicity of words used to describe evolution's mechanisms with a single, all-purpose term could actually make evolution more difficult to understand.

But don't take my word for it -- read his essay and decide for yourself! The articles in Evolution: Education and Outreach are all freely available online. My other picks: a nice synopsis of evolving infectious disease threats and an essay, adapted from a chapter in Ian
Tattersall's The Monkey in the Mirror, on the essence of science.

Image: The Onion

See Also:

• Evolution Battling Intelligent Design in Florida Schools
• Texas Science Curriculum Director Canned for Mentioning Evolution
• Creationism in the Classroom: Florida and Texas, Then the Nation
• Former Evangelical Minister Has a New Message: Jesus Hearts Darwin
• Evolutionary Theology: How to Love God and Science
• Evolution Beats Intelligent Design in Florida