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Quality Science Education for All!

vbloke

Disturbing shirts
vbloke
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
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717
http://qsea.org/_wsn/page3.html

Jeanne and Larry Caldwell are suing the university over its "Understanding Evolution" website which offers information and advice to teachers.
The Caldwells run a Californian lobby group called Quality Science Education for All! which promotes "education that exposes students to the scientific strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory." It has taken legal action against several states over the content of school books.

University of California--Berkeley
"Understanding Evolution" website project

We are currently investigating the possibility of a civil lawsuit against the University of California--Berkeley, and the National Science Foundation, regarding anti-Christian content in an evolution website aimed at K-12 public school science teachers that violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the religious freedom clauses of the California Constitution. This website, which is hosted by the University of California--Berkeley, was developed with over $450,000 in federal funds from the National Science Foundation.
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Their motto:
Our Goal: A Quality Science Education for All Americans.
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Their mission:
The mission of Quality Science Education, “Q.S.E.A.,” is reflected in its name –to secure and defend the right of all students in America to receive a quality science education.

By "Quality Science Education," we mean a science education that exposes students to the scientific strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory.

A Quality Science Education will help students develop critical thinking skills -- to teach students “how to think” instead of “what to think.”
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So, they want "a quality science education" by bashing evolution and not mentioning what they propose in it's place... ID anyone?
 
The name of that organization seems to be about as honest as "Jews for Jesus".
 
We are up against the vast financial resources of the national science and education establishments and their well-funded allies, such as the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and an often hostile mainstream media.
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...
 
University of California--Berkeley
"Understanding Evolution" website project

We are currently investigating the possibility of a civil lawsuit against the University of California--Berkeley, and the National Science Foundation, regarding anti-Christian content in an evolution website aimed at K-12 public school science teachers that violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the religious freedom clauses of the California Constitution.
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I've looked at U.C. Berkeley's "Understanding Evolution" website. It's here:
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/

I don't see what on Earth they could be talking about with regard to "anti-Christian content." Even the site's Evolution Controversy FAQ only contains neutrally-labelled links to other websites.

Perhaps they think it's anti-Christian to claim that the Earth is more than ten thousand years old. :rolleyes:
 
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Apparently, it's anti-christian to teach evolution now.
I look forward to the public burnings of witches and the stoning of heretics.
 
Darwin started with the current theory at the time, which was based on evidence, and used it as the foundation for his theory, which accounted for the evidence he had. You could start with the Greek naturalist philosophers and work your way up to the invention of biology, tracing each of Darwin's influences, to teach what science is, how it works, and how to conduct scientific inquiry. Once the students are able to recognize critical thinking in science, I.D. will reveal itself as politically bloated pseudoscientific drivel, and the entire "controversy" only creates the illusion of credibility.

However, nobody has time for that, and such a program would be wasted on high schoolers.
 
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The only problem is, I can't remember actually being taught the scientific method in school.
I was taught science, but not how it is really done. We need to be teaching stuff like this if science is going to survive.
There was a report a few days ago that the UK is suffering a shortage of good science teachers - how are tomorrows generation going to learn if there's nobody to teach them?
 
The only problem is, I can't remember actually being taught the scientific method in school.
I was taught science, but not how it is really done. We need to be teaching stuff like this if science is going to survive.
There was a report a few days ago that the UK is suffering a shortage of good science teachers - how are tomorrows generation going to learn if there's nobody to teach them?
 
tracer said:
I don't see what on Earth they could be talking about with regard to "anti-Christian content." Even the site's Evolution Controversy FAQ only contains neutrally-labelled links to other websites.
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It is not clear to me, either, but I would guess the "misconceptions" section is what is causing the heartburn. Many of the canards we have heard many times are trotted out, and their arguments answered. Clearly, showing how a creationist argument is wrong or misguided falls in the "anti-christian" bin in some zealots' minds.

The problem I have with that is that it assumes that arguing against the absolute literal truth of Genesis is somehow anti-christian. Belief in creationism is not something required to be a christian, nor is belief in evolution a stumbling block.

Cheers,

Hank
 
I can guarantee you that even the most rabid fundamentalists have broken christian scripture at some point in their lives.
That's the problem with taking the bible literally, it's so contradictory to itself.
 
I was told what the scientific method was in elementary school, middle school, and high school. I was given the opportunity to conduct experiments, participate in science fairs, and learn about current scientific theory. I wasn't really doing it right all those years. It was like I was going through all the motions, miming something, without a clue about what I was really doing. It was a collection of rules to follow and details to memorize, which translated into results, and I had a good grasp of these things. Science is taught as a collection of facts and equations which will be on the test, in projects, etc... and that alienates you from the actual scientific process.

And now I.D.'ers want to further convolute this system by inserting their own opinions in the name of "critical thinking!" Just more crap to memorize, more motions to imitate, and it's not even going to help them in college if they want to pursue scientific careers. Why waste their time?
 
I got bored, and sent the contact email of the website this email:

Hi, my name is Ryan, and I live in New Jersey.

I'd like to get the train running in New Jersey to help science in the
classroom, and improve the quality. Although my particular idea of
improving the quality of science in the classroom is to find a better
way to teach General, and Special Relativity in the High School
classroom, instead of gravity, since even though Newtonian ideas of
gravity are still taught, they've been replaced by a better idea.

What I'd like to do is get in contact with the doctors and scientists
you have behind you and create some sort of forum and correspondance
to help push more critical thinking, and modern science in the
classroom.

I feel that because of new discoveries such as neuroethics- which
allow science to prove and detail the functions and cause of morality-
and quantum mechanics, many students might find themselves dealing
with outdated scientific ideas, and will have more work to do in a
university setting, since they'll have to replace ideas such as
Newtons. A number of like minded people, along with myself really want
to help push science in the right direction. Since you're already
doing so, perhaps we could use your lead as an example?

I understand that your current endevour is to teach the flaws of
Evolution. Because there are no flaws in Evolution -only mico-specifc
arguments within minor areas, really only understandable by the most
well-versed- I find it amazing how you could create, and help create
such controversy. What are your methods? May I speak to your PH.D
science officials? Do you consider yourself politians or scientists? I
think if either of us are going to have any actual say in the
classroom, what we should do first, is make sure what we're talking
about is backed by education.

Please reply soon. I can't wait to get this off the ground.
 
I really learned the scientific method in my first year of high school auto shop. Try troubleshooting the problems on a car without it.
 
c4ts said:
I was told what the scientific method was in elementary school, middle school, and high school. I was given the opportunity to conduct experiments, participate in science fairs, and learn about current scientific theory. I wasn't really doing it right all those years. It was like I was going through all the motions, miming something, without a clue about what I was really doing. It was a collection of rules to follow and details to memorize, which translated into results, and I had a good grasp of these things. Science is taught as a collection of facts and equations which will be on the test, in projects, etc... and that alienates you from the actual scientific process.

And now I.D.'ers want to further convolute this system by inserting their own opinions in the name of "critical thinking!" Just more crap to memorize, more motions to imitate, and it's not even going to help them in college if they want to pursue scientific careers. Why waste their time?
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Continuing education after high school may not help. I went through college as a science major and wasn't taught the scientific method or critical thinking.
 
KingMerv00 said:
Continuing education after high school may not help. I went through college as a science major and wasn't taught the scientific method or critical thinking.
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Well, my college science comes from St. John's College, where the lab programs are taught along lines of inquiry. Actually, "taught" isn't quite the right word for it, since the tutor learns along with your class. The program does attract some occasional visitors, mostly scientists looking for recruits.
 
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