Biology Teachers have Mixed Opinions Regarding the Theories of Evolution

It has been discovered that the majority of the biology teachers do no like to express their opinions about the various theories of evolution.

They avoid taking a stance in order to prevent any conflicts with the students. It has been discovered that the large majority of the teachers from the United States of America believe in evolution in the way in which Darwin presented it. It has also been discovered that 13 percent of the biology teachers from the U.S believe in creationism. On top of that, they advocate it to their students. Michael Berkman and Eric Plutzer, both professors at Penn State University, were the ones who made the research. They believe that the majority of the biology takes this stance because they do not have confidence in their knowledge and because they want to avoid getting in conflict. Instead of advocating their beliefs, the majority of them will prefer not to present their opinion. The ones, who believe in Creationism, believe that God was the one who created the Universe, the Earth, and everything that lives in it.

(scienceblogs.com/strangerfruit/2008/01/stop_following_me.php)

The creationists are different than the Christian creationists, as the Christians use the Bible in order to explain the way in which the world was formed. They base their beliefs on the Genesis as it is presented in the Bible. Of course, this belief is contradicted by the evolutionary theory. The evolutionary theory states that all the organisms which exist on this earth have a single ancestor and that they have evolved from that being. They state that this is the reason why life on Earth is so diverse. It seems that life has been existed 3.7 million years ago, and according to them the religious view can not be applied because of this reason. Francis Eberle, the executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, said that the new discovery is a reason for concern. He believes that these teachers, who are spreading their religious views, are doing wrong. Their job is to spread the scientific view, and not their own views, Eberle said. For more than forty years, many biology teachers have tried to introduce the Creationism view in the schools, but they were not successful at it. The federal court has rejected these attempts each and every time, stating that allowing such a thing to happen would be unconstitutional. 926 biology teachers participated to the survey in which they had to explain the subjects which they taught in school, and their personal opinions about the way in which the world was created.

The survey revealed the fact that only 28 percent of the biology teachers taught their class in the proper manner. They are supposed to follow the National Research Council and National Academy of Sciences recommendations regarding the evolution, and they have to bring evidence that evolution took place. They also need to make sure that they use it when they teach about a particular subject. For example if they teach about a certain animal, they need to explain the way in which the animal evolved, and so on. Randy Moore, a science and evolution education specialist in the biology department at the University of Minnesota, said that the evolution is one of the most important ideas in biology. However, he said that the teachers are not forced to teach it, because some of them might have different beliefs regarding the way in which the world was formed. The survey revealed the fact that 13 percent of the biology teachers talk about creationism at least once every week, and that they present in a positive light. 14 percent of the teachers who participated to the study said that the evolution theory is false, and that the planets and the humans were created by God. They believe that the Earth did not exist millions of years ago, but that it was formed 10,000 years ago. However, these 14 percent of the teachers did not express their beliefs in class, but they kept them to themselves. The news about those 13 percent of the teachers brought lots of criticism from scientists but from parents as well.

They believe that these people should not present the evolutionary theory if they do not want to, but that they should not present the creationism theory either. They consider that what these teachers do is wrong, as each person has the right to an opinion. They should not be forced to listen to an opinion, especially since it is in contradiction with the subject. The teachers who believe in creationism consider that they did nothing wrong, and that the other theories are false. They consider the evolutionary theory to be wrong, and they refuse to teach it. There were many who questioned these teachers, and the reasons for which they became biology teachers. They said that one should not do a job which promotes an idea that he is against. There are also many teachers who believe that these two views can co-exist, and that they should co-exist. They stated that these two methods will never be proved, so they can be used. One can not say that creationism is wrong and that the evolution theory is right, unless he has proofs that the evolution actually took place. Some say that maybe the teachers have this approach because they did not receive the proper education in college. They weren’t told that they should avoid certain topics, and that they should teach in a certain manner.

(rainbowskill.com/scientist/theory-of-evolution-charles-darwin.php)

60 percent of the teachers who participated to the survey decided that the best thing to do would be not to reveal their opinions. The researchers interpreted this as a weak knowledge regarding evolution, or as an indifference towards it. These teachers did not consider it to be very important, and they did not teach it in school very thoroughly. They did not state that a certain theory is better, and they remained neutral. The researchers believe that these teachers were afraid to express their opinions, because they thought that they will be judged for it. They were afraid that the students will question their decisions, and that they will be judged by the parents for it. Steven Newton, Programs and Policy Director at the National Center for Science Education, said that in the majority of the cases, these teachers will be willing to express their opinions if the principal will allow them to do it. He said that if they receive permission to do it, they will do it, as they know that they will be backed-up in case they will be questioned for it. The survey discovered the fact that these teachers who avoid expressing their opinions, have three different methods of doing it.

They do not use evolutionism in order to explain the relationship between the species, but they use the genetics in order to explain it. Other explained the evolution theory but only because they had to, and they did not share their opinions regarding it. Other teachers presented both of the theories without taking sides. They simply presented them, explaining the way in which they work, and they let the students take sides. The researchers realized that many of these teachers were not prepared for the job. They were not experts in biology and in science, and this might have been one of the reasons why they preferred not to take sides. They might have been afraid that they would not be able to answer the questions of the students in case they had any. Newton said that in order to become a biology teacher you do not need a very high expertise in science. You can get a biology teacher without knowing too much about the field, and he considers that to be a huge problem. The researchers have stated that the best thing would be if these teachers would have to follow courses about evolutions, and the ones who fail the course not to be allowed to be any science classes. They feel that a teacher of science classes should have knowledge about evolution, and about the way in which the world was formed. They believed that by doing so, the teachers will be more prepared, and they will not be afraid to express their opinions. However, there are many who are against this approach, as they believe that by teaching one a certain thing that does not mean that the person will believe in it.

They said that it is not very hard for a teacher to learn about evolution, and that the reason why these teachers do not learn about it, is because they do not believe in it. They believe that the individual should be allowed to have his own opinion, and that a certain belief should not be enforced upon him. Besides, there are many schools that can not afford offering these teachers extra classes, as they cost money. On top of that, the majority of the schools are not experts in science classes, and biology is treated in the same manner as all the other classes, it does not get privileged. The situation regarding these two theories has been debated for a very long time now. In 1925, the situation was the opposite in the schools from the United States of America, as the creationism was accepted as the main theory. It was forbidden by law to promote theories which were against the creationism, and the people who did it were often sent to court. Of course, the situation was considered to be illegal and unconstitutional, and the American Civil Liberties Union quickly took action. A little bit later, the evolution theory was considered to be the true one, and the creationist one was forbidden in schools. Since then, there have been tens of trials in which the teachers demanded that the creationist view to be allowed in schools. Their demands were rejected each time.

After each rejection, the creationists made certain modifications to the theory. At first, they called their theory creationism, and then they called it creation science, and then Intelligent Design. The Intelligent Design says that everything on this Earth is perfect, and that each thing and each being works in perfect harmony with the other, so as a result, it is very likely that something created us. The thing is that since the beginning of time, people did not share the same beliefs. Such a world exists only in books or in movies, but in real life, it is very natural for people to have mixed opinions. As I already mentioned, these two theories have not been proven from a scientifically point of view. There aren’t proofs that we were certain beings at first, and that then we evolved. Also, there aren’t proofs that we were made by a supreme beings. However, a religious person will tell you that in religion you do not need proofs; all you need is belief. Of course, that will not be enough for a science person. However, these two should be able to coexist, and there are many scientists who agree. There are numerous scientists who believe both in God and in the evolution theory. Karl W. Giberson, a physics professor at Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts, is one of them, as he believes that there is a middle ground between these two theories. He believes that each of these theories makes valid points, and he believes that they could work together. However, he has stated that they should not be taken to an extreme, and that the hard-core atheists and the religious fanatics are wrong.