NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2015/04/03
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2015-04-03 17:18.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, A statement supporting climate change education from the American Federation of Teachers. New survey results about evolution in Canada. And a preview of The Atlas of Climate Change.
AFT ADDS ITS VOICE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION The American Federation of Teachers adopted a resolution in 2014 affirming the role of science in climate change courses. Observing that "the political will to see a specific outcome is not a proper justification to overthrow models resulting from the scientific process" and that "powerful economic interests have shown willingness to deny the existence of climate changes," the resolution affirms "the validity of using scientific inquiry methods to address the issue of global climate changes" and insists that "arguments against the current scientific model on climate change be subjected to the standard rigor and scrutiny of the relevant field instead of being subjected to manipulation by special interest groups." The resolution ends by calling upon AFT's members to "assist those engaged in overseeing science education policy to understand the nature of science, the content of contemporary climate science[,] and the inappropriateness of including non-science in our science curriculum" and to "promote these concerns and help resolve these issues in their home communities." NCSE is in the process of collecting statements supporting climate change evolution such as AFT's in Voices for Climate Change Education. For AFT's statement, visit: http://www.aft.org/resolution/affirming-role-science-climate-science-courses And for Voices for Climate Change Education, visit: http://ncse.com/climate/taking-action/voices-climate-change-education POLLING EVOLUTION IN CANADA Science Culture: Where Canada Stands, a new report from the Council of Canadian Academies, includes data on Canadian public opinion about evolution and related topics. Presented with "Human beings as we know them today developed from earlier species of animals," 74% of respondents regarded it as "definitely true" or "probably true," as compared to 47% of respondents in the United States in 2010. Presented with "The continents have been moving their location for millions of years and will continue to move," 91% of respondents regarded it as "definitely true" or "probably true," as compared to 80% of respondents in the United States in 2010. Presented with "The universe began with a huge explosion," 68% of respondents regarded it as "definitely true" or "probably true," as compared to 38% of respondents in the United States in 2010. The percentage of Canadian respondents correctly answering these three questions increased from a previous survey in 1989, although unfortunately the rates from the previous survey are not reported. The report is based on a survey of 2000 Canadians conducted by Ekos Research in April 2013; the results are considered to be accurate within +/- 2.2% at the 95% confidence interval. For Science Culture: Where Canada Stands (PDF), visit: http://www.scienceadvice.ca/uploads/eng/assessments%20and%20publications%20and%20news%20releases/science-culture/scienceculture_fullreporten.pdf And for NCSE's collection of polls and surveys, visit: http://ncse.com/creationism/polls-surveys A PREVIEW OF THE ATLAS OF CLIMATE CHANGE NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview of Kristin Dow and Thomas E. Downing's The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World's Greatest Challenge (University of California Press, 2011). The preview consists of thirteen full-color spreads with information on warning signs, polar changes, shrinking glaciers, ocean changes, everyday extremes, the greenhouse effect, the climate system, interpreting past climates, methane and other gases, threatened water security, threats to health, personal action, and public action. "A rich and colorful collection of charts, data, case studies and clear text that explains the main topics that make up the many faces of climate change," writes the reviewer for Frontiers of Biogeography. "An excellent introduction to the many dimensions of climate change -- one that will engage and inform a wide range of readers. ... In a crowded market of 'introductions to climate change,' the Atlas stands out for its clarity, range of topics and appealing presentation. It is much more than just the sum of its maps." For the preview of The Atlas of Climate Change (PDF), visit: http://ncse.com/book-excerpt For information about the book from its publisher, visit: http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520268234 WHAT'S NEW FROM THE SCIENCE LEAGUE OF AMERICA Have you been visiting NCSE's blog, The Science League of America, recently? If not, then you've missed: * Josh Rosenau puzzling over a senator's misconceptions about the history of science: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/03/ted-cruz-edge-earth-0016250 * Minda Berbeco lauding videos connecting climate change with chemistry: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/03/classroom-climate-change-chemistry-0016253 * Ann Reid wondering whether play is the way out of science denial: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/04/combatting-denial-play-0016256 And much more besides! For The Science League of America, visit: http://ncse.com/blog Thanks for reading. And don't forget to visit NCSE's website -- http://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on evolution and climate education and threats to them. -- Sincerely, Glenn Branch Deputy Director National Center for Science Education, Inc. 420 40th Street, Suite 2 Oakland, CA 94609-2509 510-601-7203 x303 fax: 510-601-7204 800-290-6006 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Check out NCSE's new blog, Science League of America: http://ncse.com/blog Read Reports of the NCSE on-line: http://reports.ncse.com Subscribe to NCSE's free weekly e-newsletter: http://groups.google.com/group/ncse-news NCSE is on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter: http://www.facebook.com/evolution.ncse http://www.youtube.com/NatCen4ScienceEd http://twitter.com/ncse NCSE's work is supported by its members. Join today! http://ncse.com/join
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