Urban Education in Theory, Policy and Practice Fall 2005

Evolution by natural selection is the central theory of biology. Given the controversial nature of evolution in the context of the wider community, it is all the more important that students not leave high school without a thorough understanding of the process by which evolution is believed to occur. This understanding is fundamental to biology, yet few students are able to fully comprehend the complexity of natural selection. This project is aimed at finding creative ways to help students understand this key theory. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a lesson. This lesson involves examining specific, interesting adaptations and discussing the reasons for those adaptations. Through examples in this discussion, we discuss adaptive radiation and convergent evolution. While students in this project responded positively to this indirect example-centered approach to teaching, the evidence shows that they need a more direct lesson in genetic/evolutionary concepts before an indirect lesson can be effective