Evolution is the central unifying theme of biology. Yet today, more than a century and a half after Charles Darwin proposed the idea of evolution through natural selection, the topic is often relegated to a handful of chapters in textbooks and a few class sessions in introductory biology courses, if covered at all. In recent years, a movement has been gaining momentum that is aimed at radically changing this situation.

On October 25-26, 2011, the Board on Life Sciences of the National Research Council and the National Academy of Sciences held a national convocation in Washington, DC, to explore the many issues associated with teaching evolution across the curriculum. Thinking Evolutionarily: Evolution Education Across the Life Sciences: Summary of a Convocation summarizes the goals, presentations, and discussions of the convocation. The goals were to articulate issues, showcase resources that are currently available or under development, and begin to develop a strategic plan for engaging all of the sectors represented at the convocation in future work to make evolution a central focus of all courses in the life sciences, and especially into introductory biology courses at the college and high school levels, though participants also discussed learning in earlier grades and life-long learning.

Thinking Evolutionarily: Evolution Education Across the Life Sciences: Summary of a Convocation covers the broader issues associated with learning about the nature, processes, and limits of science, since understanding evolutionary science requires a more general appreciation of how science works. This report explains the major themes that recurred throughout the convocation, including the structure and content of curricula, the processes of teaching and learning about evolution, the tensions that can arise in the classroom, and the target audiences for evolution education.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PLANNING COMMITTEE ON THINKING EVOLUTIONARILY: MAKING BIOLOGY EDUCATION MAKE SENSE
• BOARD ON LIFE SCIENCES
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Introduction and Overview
  • THE SETTING AND SPIRIT OF THE CONVOCATION
  • PERSPECTIVE OF A FUNDER
  • OVERVIEW OF THE CONVOCATION
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Changing Curricula and Instruction
  • CHALLENGE AND RESPONSE
  • BEACON
  • EVOLUTION IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
  • DISCUSSION
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Learning About Evolution: The Evidence Base
  • THE EVIDENCE BASE
  • NOVICE TO EXPERT REASONING
  • SEEING BENEATH THE SURFACE
  • EVOLUTION ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Confronting Controversy
  • OVERCOMING FEAR
  • “BELIEVING” IN EVOLUTION
  • KEEPING AN OPEN MIND
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Broadening the Target Audiences
  • STARTING YOUNG
  • POTENTIAL AUDIENCES
  • DEALING WITH OPPOSITION TO EVOLUTION
• 6. Progress and Resources
  • CURRICULUM REFORM INITIATIVES
  • PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
  • RESOURCES FOR TEACHING EVOLUTION ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
  • REFERENCES
• 7. Next Steps
  • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
  • RESOURCES
  • RESEARCH
  • PUBLIC OUTREACH
  • SUPPORT
  • PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
• Appendixes
  • A Convocation Agenda
  • B Brief Biographies of Committee Members and Staff
  • C Brief Biographies of Presenters and Panelists

Rapporteurs: Steve Olson and Jay B. Labov.

This study was supported by the National Academy of Sciences and grants from the Burroughs-Wellcome Foundation, Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation, a Research Coordination Network/Undergraduate Biology Education Grant from the National Science Foundation to Oklahoma University, and in-kind support from the Carnegie Institution for Science. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

Suggested citation:

National Research Council and National Academy of Sciences (2012). Thinking Evolutionarily: Evolution Education Across the Life Sciences. Summary of a Convocation. Steve Olson, Rapporteur. Planning Committee on Thinking Evolutionarily: Making Biology Education Make Sense. Board on Life Sciences, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Research Council, and National Academy of Sciences. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.