Saturday, October 08, 2005
ABC Easy As 1,2,3
Elizabeth Ziegler reporting in the Idaho State Journal:
Teaching evolution does not have to be controversial, said Idaho Science Teacher Association President Ralph Peterson Thursday during the Idaho Science Teachers Association conference at Idaho State University.
"I am not against the philosophical discussion of evolution, creationism and intelligent design," he said, ”I am against it being taught as science.“
He said teachers must respect their students' religious beliefs, but show them how scientific thought is separate from a belief system.
Students need to develop their critical thinking skills, he said, and learn to look at the natural world through a scientific lens, separate from their religion or other belief system.
Once they do this, he said they discover that evolution is not threatening to their beliefs.
