Why Evolution Is Not Being Believe---Teachers!

Started by Solitary, September 17, 2014, 12:04:54 PM

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Solitary

https://richarddawkins.net/2014/09/evolution-illiteracy-among-americas-finest-educators/

Sorry for my ignorance by posting my g mail reply as a link!  :doh: :redface: The link above is the correct one.
Quote



New England Science Public (NESP) and the New England Center for the Public Understanding of Science at Roger Williams University, United States, have just released the study ‘Acceptance of Evolution by America’s Educators of Prospective Teachers: The Disturbing Reality of Evolution Illiteracy at Colleges and Universities.’

Coauthors Dr. Guillermo Paz-y-Mino-C and Dr. Avelina Espinosa, members of NESP, investigated the attitudes toward evolution among 500 educators of prospective teachers affiliated with 300 colleges and universities in the US. These professionals (almost all PhD holders) where polled in five areas:  their views about evolution and creationism,  their understanding of how science and the evolutionary process work,  their position about the hypothetical ‘harmony or compatibility’ between science and religion,  their awareness of the age of the Earth, its moon, the solar system and universe, and  their personal convictions concerning the evolution or creation of humans in the context of their religiosity.

Acceptance of evolution was strongly influenced by the educators’ religious beliefs. In comparison to two other populations whose acceptance of evolution had already been studied by Paz-y-Mino-C and Espinosa â€"that is research faculty and college students in New Englandâ€" the educators showed an intermediate level of understanding science, low acceptance of evolution, and high religiosity.

The significant outcomes of the study can be summarized as follows:

• 59% of the educators accepted evolution openly, 51% thought that evolution is definitely true, and 59% admitted to be religious. In contrast, among the New England researchers, 94% accepted evolution openly, 82% thought that evolution is definitely true, and 29% admitted to be religious. Among the students, 63% accepted evolution openly, 58% thought that evolution is definitely true, and 37% admitted to be religious.

• Educators in each region of the US (North East, Midwest, South, and West) had science- and evolution-literacy scores below the researchers’ but above the students.’

• The educators’ rejection of evolution increased, conspicuously, with increasing level of religiosity.

The authors highlight that “the educators of prospective teachers are responsible for mentoring the teachers-to-be in the American school system, and that their hesitation to embrace evolution resides in a deficient understanding of science and high religiosity.”

Paz-y-Mino-C and Espinosa conclude that harmonious coexistence between science and religion is illusory. If co-persisting in the future, the relationship between science and religion will fluctuate between moderate and intense antagonism.

The complete 92-page study is available open access at New England Science Public; it includes 23 figures, statistics, 34 maps, 12 tables, and a companion slide show ‘Image Resources’ for science journalists, researchers and educators.

How can some of these people call themselves educators? Solitary
There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.

Hijiri Byakuren

Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

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SGOS

Generally speaking, those who teach future educators are supposedly experts in the process of imparting knowledge.  They are not generally known for their scientific acumen.  Prospective teachers do take some courses outside the field of education, such as actual science and math courses, or literature, but they spend an inordinate amount of time taking education courses, which are for the most part, as close to basket weaving as a college course can be.  Ask anyone in the process of getting a teaching degree which are the most pointless courses he takes, and he will no doubt say his education courses.

I keep reading polls with appalling statistics that point to a society heavily influenced by creationism.  It's very high numbers, and many of these people want to become teachers.  Those who do know something about our Earth might be reluctant to butt heads with the others, or with that high percentage of parents who believe nonsense, and they simply downplay evolution.

What would you expect from our teachers?  I don't credit mankind with being smart.  Much of mankind has the capacity, but much of mankind takes pride in not being knowledgeable.  People trust in common sense, and "don't take to book learnin'", and out of all this you expect colleges to put out hundreds of thousands of well informed teachers???

Gawdzilla Sama

We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

Hydra009

Quote from: Solitary on September 17, 2014, 12:04:54 PMPaz-y-Mino-C and Espinosa conclude that harmonious coexistence between science and religion is illusory. If co-persisting in the future, the relationship between science and religion will fluctuate between moderate and intense antagonism.
It's interesting how popular the idea is that religion and science are compatible and how little it is actually borne out.

Solitary

Why aren't they well informed? And if they are, why does their religion trump science? This was in reference to colleges and Universities. Is it too much for them to be educated in science, logical and critical thinking, to be educators? This is the problem, poor education of even college and University educators that believe in superstitious nonsense like Creationism.  :wall:
There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.

Solitary

#6
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on September 17, 2014, 12:48:49 PM
Link doesn't work.

This one works. https://richarddawkins.net/2014/09/evolution-illiteracy-among-americas-finest-educators/
I clicked on the original link I gave on your posting and it worked?

:doh: :redface: Of course it worked for me, it's my g mail address. Live and learn.
There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.

Hydra009

Quote from: SGOS on September 17, 2014, 12:36:02 PMPeople trust in common sense, and "don't take to book learnin'", and out of all this you expect colleges to put out hundreds of thousands of well informed teachers???
Actually, yes.  The people who teach evolution really should know evolution.  Or at the very least, not be evolution denialists.

Solitary

There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.

SGOS

Well, I actually expect it, too, at least in the ideal.  But the system doesn't seem like it's designed for it.  I think it's appalling.

QuoteSolitary: This was in reference to colleges and Universities.

I sort of understood that, but I got thinking about my own experience in Education, and got side tracked thinking about highschool and elementary.

But those findings don't reflect what I thought I saw.  I took a lot of science courses, and the professors from those departments were for the most part top notch brilliant people worthy of respect.  Of course, I only went to three different colleges.  One of them wasn't that great for science.  But the other two were rather impressive, at least in my opinion.  I could have just hit it lucky, I suppose.

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: Solitary on September 17, 2014, 12:57:50 PM
I clicked on the original link I gave on your posting and it worked?
Yeah, to YOUR mail account. Can I have the password, please?
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

Solitary

Sorry about that!  :redface: And no you can't! Thanks for putting the correct lick!  :doh:
There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.

josephpalazzo

Christians are not bugged by the evolution of germs - no pun intended,  they couldn't care less that a virus can mutate - but by what evolution says about humans in their relation with their god(s), which is a case of exceptionalism.  Their denial of evolution resides in the notion that humans are special. So it's not only on theological grounds but also at the psychological level that their objections to evolution become absurd. That's why arguing with christian denialists is an exercise in futility.

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: Solitary on September 17, 2014, 02:33:53 PM
Sorry about that!  :redface: And no you can't! Thanks for putting the correct lick!  :doh:

No problem.

But I want it

I cheated a bit, on that, I pasted the first sentence into Google and the link popped up. No real work involved.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

Solitary

I want to apologize to everyone that used the address I gave and wonder what is going on. I never realized it was an email sent to me by being stupid!  :doh: :redface: :pidu: :axe: Solitary
There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.