Date published: 2008/09/12
The BBC says:
Creationism should be discussed in school science lessons, rather than excluded, says the director of education at the Royal Society.
Professor Michael Reiss says that if pupils have strongly-held family beliefs about creationism such ideas should be explored.
Rather than dismissing creationism as a "misconception", he says it should be seen as a cultural "world view".
This was more valuable than simply "banging on" about evolution, he said.
Rev Prof Reiss, a biologist and Church of England minister, said he now believed it was more effective to engage with pupils' ideas about creationism, rather than to obstruct discussion with those who do not accept the scientific version of the evolution of species.
...
Prof Reiss, speaking at the British Association Festival of Science at the University of Liverpool, estimates that about one in 10 children is from a family which supports a creationist view rather than evolutionary.He says that in his experience it is more effective to include discussion about creationism alongside scientific theories such as the Big Bang and evolution.
"An increasing percentage of children in the UK come from families that do not accept the scientific version of the history of the universe and the evolution of species.
"What are we to do with those children? My experience after having tried to teach biology for 20 years is if one simply gives the impression that such children are wrong, then they are not likely to learn much about the science that one really wants them to learn.
...
Prof Reiss said that he had shifted his own views on how to respond to creationism."I realised that simply banging on about evolution and natural selection didn't lead some pupils to change their minds at all.
"Now I would be more content simply for them to understand it as one way of understanding the universe."
This was challenged by Simon Underdown, senior lecturer in the department of anthropology at Oxford Brookes University.
Creationism should be taught within the context of religion rather than science, said Dr Underdown. "It is not something that fits within the mainstream of science."
Hopefully the Royal Society will decide that Reiss is no longer worth keeping as their director of education. How can anyone who claims to have any interest in science say that "I would be more content simply for them to understand it as one way of understanding the universe." Creationism leads to no understanding of the universe. These children's parents, who are foisting these ideas on them, do not want to understand the universe. They want to believe in some random mythology. If 1 in 10 children believed that 2+2=5, would Reiss be so tolerant? At best, creationism belongs in a religious education class. It is not a scientific theory. The Royal Society will become a laughing stock if they start pushing the Reiss line seriously.
_________________________________________________________
All material not included from other sources is copyright cambridge2000.com.
For further information or questions email: info [at] cambridge2000 [dot] com
(replace "[at]" with "@" and "[dot]" with ".").