Transcript Evolution 2013 presx

Evolution 2013: A Workshop
for Educators
NATIONAL EVOLUTIONARY SYNTHESIS CENTER
NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF NATURAL
SCIENCES
JUNE 17-19, 2013
Why is teaching evolution so hard?
 Evolution is “only a theory”
 Students misunderstand the common use of theory versus a
scientific theory, which is tested and widely accepted
 Teachers do not feel comfortable teaching evolution
 Many teachers lack a background of scientific knowledge about
evolution, and are hesitant because of the controversial nature
 Only 14% of Americans believe evolution is
“absolutely true” (Miller, 2006)
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Teachers have to battle misconceptions of students and the
community
Americans in general are wholly scientifically illiterate
Evolution Brings it all Together
 “The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
strongly supports the position that evolution is a major
unifying concept in science and should be included in the
K–12 science education frameworks and curricula.”
 Evolution is “Big Idea 1” in the new AP Biology
frameworks. “The process of evolution drives the
diversity and unity of life.”
 Evolution is an important concept in the NGSS.
 Teaching evolution at the beginning of a course sets the
fundamental framework for understanding the story of
life on earth.
Evolution All the Time
 Where else can I teach evolution throughout the
year? - You can always teach evolution
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Cells: Endosymbiont Theory of eukaryotic cell evolution;
divergence of prokaryotes and eukaryotes
Genetics: co-evolution of Sickle Cell and malaria; lactose
intolerance
DNA: mutations as a source of evolution
Taxonomy: evolutionary relationships; using DNA to classify
organisms, describing adaptations as a result of environment
Cell Energy: glycolysis as an ancient metabolic pathway
Ecology: effect of climate change on populations; co-evolution
of predator-prey/pollinator relationships
Ways to Teach Evolution
 Scientific Inquiry
 Inquiry Stations
 Cooperative learning
 Seminars
 Case Studies
 Online simulations
 Arts & Crafts (posters, modeling, construction)
References
 http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/evolution.aspx
 Miller, J. (2006). Civic Scientific Literacy in Europe and
the United States. World Association for Public Opinion
Research, Montreal, Canada.
http://www.arcsfoundation.org/Pittsburgh/JMiller.pdf
 Miller, J. (2006). Public Acceptance of Evolution.
Science, 313, 765-766.
 Scearce, C. (2007). Scientific Literacy. ProQuest
Discovery Guides. Ann Arbor, MI.
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/scilit/review.pdf
Evidence for Evolution
WAYS FOR STUDENTS TO EXPLORE THE
LINES OF EVIDENCE WHICH SUPPORT
EVOLUTION
Lines of Evidence
 Fossils
 Diet, climate, geography, behavior
 Molecules
 DNA, proteins (cyt C, Hb)
 Anatomy
 Homologous, analogous, vestigial structures; embryology
 Artificial Selection
 Evolution of dogs, mustard, horses, pigeons
Biodiversity & Biogeography
RATS AND BIRDS AND LIZARDS, OH MY!
Biodiversity Background
 Types of Biodiversity
 Ecosystem, species, genetic
 Threats to biodiversity
 Habitat destruction, hunting/poaching, invasive species
 Effects of biodiversity loss
 Small populations, loss of genetic diversity, bottlenecks,
extinction
 Characteristic model species
 Polar bears, cheetahs, humans
Island Biogeography Basics
 High level of endemism
 Large islands should have more species
 Islands closer to mainland should have more species
 Geographically isolated
 Biodiversity hotspots
 Generally threatened
 Characteristic islands: Galapagos, Madagascar
Hominid Evolution
I GIVE PRIMATES THE THUMBS UP
Hominid Highlights
 There are not many/any specific objectives dealing
with hominid (including human evolution) in most
curricula.
 Make good examples to support
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Co-evolution: malaria and sickle-cell
Anatomical evidence: skull allometry, thumbs, no tails,
vestigial organs
Molecular evidence: chromosome comparisons between
humans and chimps, etc.
 Hominids are familiar, characteristic “megafauna”
Hominid Evo Resources
 Smithsonian Human Origins Exhibit
 Skull lab sans skulls
 ENSI
 ENSI Skull Resources
Online/Computer-Based
Evolution Simulations
MUCH EASIER THAN SIMULATING NATURAL
SELECTION OF YOUR STUDENTS
Considerations
 Classroom climate
 Teacher-lead vs. student-lead activity
 Computer Availability
 Computer lab vs. mobile lab
 Laptops vs. netbooks
 Wireless/Internet Reliability
 Adding new software to school computers
 Web-based apps vs. computer-based programs
Options
 Web-based application
 http://www.radford.edu/~rsheehy/Gen_flash/popgen/
 Activity aligned to new AP Biology framework
 PhET
 http://phet.colorado.edu/
 Great simulations for all science disciplines (esp. physics)
 Robust library of activities and demos
 Aipotu
 aipotu.umb.edu
 Most appropriate for higher-level/AP courses
Bioinfor-what!
 From Wikipedia:
 Bioinformatics is a branch of biological science which deals
with the study of methods for storing, retrieving and analyzing
biological data, such as nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) and protein
sequences, structures, functions, pathways and genetic
interactions. It generates new knowledge about drug designing
and development of new software tools. Bioinformatics also
deals with algorithms, databases and information systems,
web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing,
information and computation theory, structural biology,
software engineering, data mining, image processing,
modeling and simulation, signal processing, discrete
mathematics, control and system theory, circuit theory, and
statistics.
Usefulness in a Classroom
 Activities using databases can teach concepts like:
 DNA/RNA structure
 Protein structure
 Gene expression/regulation
 Mutations
 Comparative genomics
 Evolutionary biology (phyloinformatics)
 Systems modeling
Classroom Friendly Databases
 Blast – Basic Local Alignment Research Tool
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http://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi
Databases of genomic sequences
Commonly used by biologists in several disciplines
Used in new AP Biology lab manual (Investigations 2 & 3)
 Neotoma
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http://www.neotomadb.org/
Databases of mammal and pollen fossils from last 5 million years
Has “Explorer” application which lends itself to student inquiry
Useful for biology, earth/environmental science classes
Other Online Resources
 HHMI
 Evolution of Stickleback
 Rock Pocket Mouse
 Malaria and Lactose Tolerance
Evo Books I Like
 Genome – Matt Ridley
 Your Inner Fish – Neil Shubin
 The Third Chimpanzee – Jared Diamond
 Survival of the Sickest – Sharon Moalem
 The Reluctant Mr. Darwin – David Quammen
 Seven Daughters of Eve – Brian Sykes
 The Pandas Thumb - Steven Jay Gould
 The Plausibility of Life – Marc Kirschener