Research-based teaching about biological evolution

Abstract

This paper reports an attempt to design a teaching-learning sequence in which the students are stimulated to construct a scientific model of evolution, and to use this model in various contexts. Theoretical reflection, instructional design and classroom research have been linked in a cyclic process of development. Basic principles in the sequence were to make the students aware of different ideas about evolution, both scientific and “alternative” ones, to encourage them to reflect on their own thinking, and to use group discussions as a tool for effective learning. A group of 18 students, all at the age of 17, were followed during a 16- hour unit on evolution. The sequence was evaluated both in terms of the students’ learning and in terms of their experience of the teaching. The results from a delayed post-test, about one year after instruction, show that most students had abandoned pre-instructional “alternative” conceptions, in favour for more scientific ones. As judged from logbook entries, a vast majority of the students also appreciated the teaching approach during the unit, and some students spontaneously expressed their satisfaction with being able to use the theory of evolution as a scientific tool.