Teaching the Controversy: Why teachers refuse to teach evolution as scientifically valid
I was asked to write an article about a controversy in science. I chose to write about the controversy over teaching evolution in the classroom because I have personal experience with it. To write this article, I needed to research the sides and conduct an interview with a subject matter expert. I needed to discuss both sides and explain the controversy between them, citing both the research I found and the expert I interviewed. I began the assignment with the belief that teaching evolution in the classroom was necessary, but during my research, I decided that in addition to teaching evolution, it is also imperative that non-scientific alternatives be kept out of the science classroom. While not required, I chose to argue in favor of this side, since I found compelling the argument in favor of teaching evolution in the science classroom to the exclusion of non-scientific alternatives.
Date Written
April 2015
Target Audience
General public
Skills Developed
- Researching to interview
- Scheduling and conducting an interview with a subject matter expert
- Writing an article based on the interview
- Explaining a scientific controversy
- Accommodating scientific facts for a lay audience
- Arguing a side in a scientific controversy