87 Geoscience Education (Posters)

UNDERSTANDING EVOLUTION

Paper number: 87-10
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Authors

Abstract

The University of California Museum of Paleontology, in partnership with the National Center for Science Education, announces Understanding Evolution: a new comprehensive website on evolution developed especially for teachers. Its purpose is to provide content and resources for teachers at all grade and experience levels in order to facilitate the teaching of evolution. The site was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and was developed by a team of scientists, graduate students, and teachers working together to respond to the needs of K-12 teachers.

The first part of the site, Exploring Evolution, focuses on enriching or upgrading content knowledge for all teachers. Learning is self-paced and includes an engaging form of self-assessment – facing a classroom of children, hands raised, and questions ready. Teaching Evolution focuses on resources for the classroom, using a searchable database to access lessons by grade level and topic. All lessons are aligned to specific concepts that are articulated as strands throughout grades K-12. In addition, we offer teaching strategies for teachers facing resistance or potential “roadblocks” to their teaching.

Understanding Evolution also contains an Evolution Library that provides a suite of resources for K-16 students and the general public. These resources include case studies, interviews, online tutorials, comic books, and student investigations.

Visit http://evolution.berkeley.edu .