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Dremock, Fae, Ed.Evolutionary Biology Instruction: What Students Gain fromLearning through Inquiry.Wisconsin Univ., Madison. National Center for ImprovingStudent Learning and Achievement in Mathematics and Science.Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),Washington, DC.2002-00-0013p.; Theme issue.R305A960007National Center for Improving Student Learning andAchievement in Mathematics and Science, University ofWisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Center for Educatipn Research,School of Education, 1025 W. Johnson Street, Madison, WI53706. Tel: 608-263-3605; Fax: 608-263-3406; e-mail:ncisla@education.wisc.edu. For full text:http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/ncisla.Collected Works Serials (022) Reports Descriptive(141)

Principled Practice in Mathematics & Science Education; v5n1 Win 2002MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.*Biology; Case Studies; Elementary Secondary Education;*Evolution; Learning Strategies; *Science Curriculum;Scientific and Technical Information; Scientific Literacy

This bulletin features articles on real world evolutionarybiology, revolutionary classroom science, a review of new curricula inevolutionary biology, and the use of case studies to illustrate points inevolutionary biology. The articles are: (1) "'Real World' EvolutionaryBiology: A Pragmatic Quest. Interview with BioQUEST's John Jungck" (HarveyBlack); (2) "Revolutionary Science in the Classroom: Interview with ScienceEducation Researchers Jim Stewart and John Rudolph" (Harvey Black); and (3)"New Evolutionary Biology Curriculum Enables Students To Think Like-Biologists" (Susan Smetzer-Anderson). (DDR)

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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tudents using the evolutionary biology curriculum describedISin this newsletter are excited about learning science: Engaged

in actual scientific inquiry, they are collaboratively investigatingand piecing together rich data and theoryand gaining adeep understanding of evolutionary biology and Darwin's modelof natural selection. Students' enthusiastic learning and gains inunderstanding make a compelling case for teaching evolutionarybiology through inquiry.

The longer-term benefits students gainin terms of broader educational

and professional optionsare discussed here by science educationresearchers John Jungck, Jim Stewart, and John Rudolph. Jungck proposes

that pragmatists can make a strong case for including evolutionary biology

in the high school science curriculum to help prepare students to partici-

pate in science-based fields, such as medicine, agriculture, bacteriology, and

other fields that require problem-solving skills. Optimism about what this

vision for learning suggestsand pragmatism about the investment such

instructional change requiresare both candidly addressed.

As they engage in scientific inquiry that unveils the course, nature,

and impacts of long- and short-term changes that living organisms

experience, high school students can gain a deeper understanding of

the nature of scienceand the nature of the world they inhabit.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

is document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it.

Minor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality.

Points of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position cr policy.

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"Eritag Wold" EvolluVonary Midogy:A -ragrmatfic Quest

INTERVIEW WITH BioQUEST'S JOHN JUNGCK

by Harvey Black

JohnJungck, Principal Investigator

for the BioQUEST Curriculum

Consortium and Professor of

Biology and Mead Chair of the

Sciences at Beloit College in Beloit,

WI, talks about the practical

reasons why students should learn

evolutionary biology as inquiry.

by should high schoolstudents study evolutionary

biology? John Jungck, PrincipalInvestigator of the BioQUEST Curricu-lum Consortium, contends thatevolution's importance can be madeclear to students by demonstrating itsoperation in such "real world" mattersas HIV/AIDS infection and spread, thedevelopment of resistance to antibioticsby microbes, and resistance to pesticidesby insects. Jungck has assisted scienceteachers in their professional develop-ment for 23 years in his work with theBioQUEST Curriculum Consortium atBeloit College in Beloit, WI.

"Unfortunately, most of the publicdiscourse about evolutionary biology hasfocused on the ideological battle abouthuman origins, and that has adverselydeflected attention from the utilitarianaspects of evolutionary problemsolving," Jungck asserts. He points to anarray of examples to make his case aboutthe necessity of applying evolution tounderstanding everyday phenomena.Looking at HIV, Jungck notes that "byinvestigating the genes of the virus and trac-ing the way it changedor evolved"

HIV groups and subtypes were differentiated over time. In Thailand, for example,two subtypes of the virus are now known to be prevalent: the first (predominant)subtype appears to be spreading primarily through heterosexual transmission;the second primarily (and more slowly) through drug use and homosexualcontact. Jungck also notes that through conducting evolutionary inquiry,scientists could clarify the origin of the virus.

Other contemporary examples where evolutionary biology applies includethe growing resistance of bacteria and insects to certain antibiotics andagricultural pesticides, respectively. For example, certain prescription drugs cantreat and cure bacterial disease, but overuse and misuse of these drugs isallowing certain bacterial populations to evolve resistance to the drugs over time.Scientists have noted that certain strains of tuberculosis are now resistant topowerful drugs that once fought the disease. Similarly, insects can developresistance to pesticides. As resistance increases, farmers might need to use moreor stronger pesticides to protect crops, yet still experience yield and incomelosseseither due to crop loss or through the costs of the pesticides they areapplying. Food, forage, and fiber prices will reflect these costs as well. To breakthese negative cycles, Jungck reflects, it is important to understand how suchresistance evolves and take appropriate preventive steps.

3

PRAGMATIC QUEST

EVOLUTION CAN BE TAUGHT AS INQUIRY

In the classroom, teachers and students can use some fairly simpletechniques to observe evolution at work. Wisconsin Fast Plants,' for example, have alife cycle of 35-40 days (seed to seed). By following three or four generations over asemester, students can observe evolutionary changes in plant structures (e.g., howthe number of hairs on plant stems can be varied by selection and breeding).

In the classroom, such observation opportunities enable students to develop arange of important mental skills. Says Jungck. "You're honing students' abilities toreason with evidence, to construct an argument that is analytical, quantitative, ...Even if a student concludes that there is some kind of special creationism [throughscientific inquiry], they've done it in a very different kind of framework. They'vedone it with concrete examples, evidentiary kinds of bases." As students learn toengage in evolutionary inquiry, they learn that, in making a scientific argument,what counts is evidence and causal reasoning about that evidence.

Such an inquiry-based approach varies greatly from the way evolution istypically taught. "The mainstream of biology education has been fact-laden and amarch through the phyla a reproduction of 'the great chain of being," Jungckargues. In contrast, through the more dynamicapproach built into the use of Fast Plants, students engage inproblem solving with data that they themselves havecollected and examine the mechanisms behind evolution.

Jungck believes that teachers need to learn how to teachevolution as inquiry, but he notes that most high schoolteachers have not had the opportunity themselves to learnevolution as inquiry. For teachers, Jungck argues, there is"a tremendous need for research opportunities, labs, andworkshops in these areas." The BioQUEST CurriculumConsortium (www.BioQUEST.org), based at Beloit College inWI, provides one way to meet this need. Throughout the year,BioQUEST, of which Jungck is one of the leaders, holds teacher workshopsemphasizing the use and importance of the problem-solving analytical approach.

Problem-solving and analysis skills that involve historical inferences are hardlyconfined to evolution, Jungck notes. Sciences such as cosmology (the study of theorigin of the universe) and historical geology also make use of these skills. "Oursciences are tied together," he remarks. "If you have a good, viable theory of cosmol-ogy, it allows an astronomer to interpret observations or to seek out information, tolook with a new probe into the universe to test a hypothesis. A paleontologist or a histori-cal geologist can't rewrite history, but the evolutionary ramifications of such thingsas plate tectonics and the whole distribution of continents on the planet isabsolutely critical to understand. We've too much focused on science with an experi-mental paradigm," he states. Physicists use carbon dating; chemists explore reactionsinvolving conversion of one chemical to another "over eons"even sciences thatsuperficially seem to be solely lab based have significant historical aspects.

a variety of pathogensa deepunderstanding of evolution is critical,"Jungck asserts.

Even beyond science and healthprofessions, companies are out toattract the "best and the brightest"well- prepared students familiar withscientific concepts and processes whoare able, in other words, to thinkcritically, trace cause and effect,problem-solve.

Consequently, Jungck argues, thereis a need for thinking beyond thewalls of the academy and enlistingbusinesses in the effort to increaseunderstanding of evolution andevolutionary impacts. He thinks, forexample, that much stronger links

need to be forgedbetween education

and engineering,energy, andagriculture. Forcompanies inthese fields, suchlinks are, Jungck

notes, in theirown best interests.

Jungck emphasizesthat these concerns are pragmatic, andhis advice for school boards involvedin controversy over evolution scienceis to appeal to pragmatism. Equippingstudents to participate in a modern,science-based world is far from anesoteric endeavor. Says Jungck,"It's important to start with theimmediate and concrete." We need aneducated workforce, employeescapable of understanding modernscientific concepts and questions,pursuing workable solutions, andpresenting logical arguments basedon evidenceall qualities thatevolutionary reasoning can enhance.

Asshuients learn to engage in

eiolutionary inquiry, they

learn that, in making a

scientific argument, what

ca7ts is evidence and causal

reasoning about that evidence.

UNDERSTANDING EVOLUTIONIS GOOD JOB PREPARATION

Many of the jobs that our children eventually will seek demand the ability tounderstand and apply evolutionary thinking, Jungck observes. If a student wantsto pursue a traditional profession in health, for example, a strong understandingof evolutionary biology is essential. "A physician should be well informed aboutthe power of contemporary genetic and evolutionary techniques related toepidemiology, antibiotics, and other kinds of pharmacology. Any time peoplemake decisions that affect human immune systemspeople's abilities to handle

1 4

' Fast Plants, rapid cycling members of the cabbageand mustard family (genus Brassica) were developedthrough 25 years of selective breeding by Dr. Paul Wil-liams and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With a life cycle of 35-40 days (seed to seed),the plants can easily be grown in the classroom undercontinuous fluorescent light. (See www.fastplants.ong)

Rewaarajgnorfy Sdence 5u1 the aassroarnINTERVIEW WITH SCIENCE EDUCATION RESEARCHERS

JIM STEWART AND JOHN RUDOLPH

by Harvey Black

Science education and curriculum

researchers Jim Stewart and John

Rudolph (both of University of

Wisconsin-Madison) outline ways

high school students can learn

and benefit from learning

evolutionary biology as inquiry.

he way science is taught in most schools doesn't help students understandwhat scientists do and how they think," says Jim Stewart, professor of

science education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a researcher atthe National Center for Improving Student Learning and Achievement inMathematics and Science. "Students are typically taught science as a rhetoric ofconclusions," he says. "They don't come away with any understanding ofwhy scientists come to their conclusions the way they do. Students also don'tunderstand why proposed conclusions are tentative, as are just about allscientific conclusions."

"Moreover," adds John Rudolph, researcher and assistant professor of curricu-lum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, "a recent NationalScience Foundation document' reports that fewer than one in four people in theUnited States have an understanding of science as a process." Yet science signifi-cantly influences almost every aspect of our daily lives. From computers to cancerresearch, science and engineering affect just about everything we do every day. IfU.S. citizens are to be competent decision makers, they need to have a grasp of howscientific research affects their personal, professional, and political lives, even howgovernment policies and funding direct scientific research. "It's important," Rudolphstates, "for people to understand how and under what conditions scientificknowledge is gained and used." To be prepared to thrive in a science-permeatedsociety, students need a strong grounding in scientific processes and concepts.

"SCIENCE IS MORE THAN LAB WORK"

Students need to learn to engage in the intellectual work of science, to gainan understanding of both scientific content and processes, states Rudolph. Heargues, however, that "hands-on" scientific experiments are not necessarily thebestor onlyway to convey scientific understanding. "A more well-roundedscientific experience would involve students in developing scientific argumentsbased on evidence, confronting alternative explanations, adjudicating between

Photo by Paul Baker

those, and coming to some consensusabout what explanations best fit thedata," says Rudolph.

The evolutionary biology curricu-lum Stewart and his research teamhave developed, studied, and seenapplied by teachers at Wisconsin'sMonona Grove High School provides anunusual opportunity for students todig deeper into science. The newcurriculum gives students a chance todevelop their intellectual skills and tocultivate a more robust understandingof scientific processes and concepts.

The evolutionary biology coursechallenges students to developexplanations for observed phenom-ena students have to examine data,present their ideas as sound scientificarguments, and learn how todefend their propositions withscientific reasoning.

Through the course students alsoconfront the uncomfortable reality thatthere might be a number of possibleexplanations for the same observations."At Monona Grove, students developdata-based explanations. Variousgroups of students' explanations mightnot be the same, however, and they

might not come to a resolution.Students might find that there iscontinuing disagreement as to whatis really happening with a givenphenomenon. This is what happens inscience. Science is a slow process bywhich people come to some reliableknowledge about the world. In theirwork, scientists examine evidence andpropose claims and counterclaims.It is not as straightforward as sometextbooks would lead you to believe,"states Rudolph.

Stewart adds, "Students also need tocome to grips with the fact thatscientists must revise theories in the faceof data that contradict earlier findings."

People living in Charles Darwin's day(Darwin died in 1892) struggled with thesame misperceptions about science thattoday's high school students face, theresearchers state. People tend to expectscience to be experimental andlaboratory basedto yield clear andcertain answers.

"Evolutionary biology provides anexcellent example of the diversity ofscientific practices. Evolutionarybiologists use a combination of methodsto come to knowledge about the world,"says Rudolph. "The difficulty withtrying to understand evolutionary changeis that it occurs so very slowly. It's notsomething that can be observed in realtime, and so different methods of researchare required." Among the methods pliedby evolutionary biologists are historicalanalysis and probabilistic models. Otherfields in which scientists study processesthat occur over extended periods of timeare plate tectonics, cosmology (the studyof the universe), and stellar evolution.

EDUCATORS FACE HURDLES INREFORMING INSTRUCTION

Getting all these points across in theclassroomthe tentative nature ofscience, arguments based on evidence,the idea that science is far more thanwhat goes on in a lab or what can bemeasured with certaintycan be achallenge for teachers alreadygrappling with many reform demands.Although the national science educa-tion standards address these points,

REVOLUTIONARY

"the difficulty is that the policy documents present a vision of what science edu-cation should be, but are vague about how teachers might implement the visionin the classroom," says Rudolph. (The evolutionary biology curriculum designedby the NCISLA research team provides tools that teachers can use as they seek toimplement the standards in their classrooms. For more detail, see pages 7 and 10of this newsletter. See also www.wcerwisc.eduincisla/muse.)

Furthermore, Rudolph adds, the movement toward accountability in instructionmight also block implementation of the type of science education reforms he andhis colleagues advocate. For example, many people would like to emphasizefact-based learning in the classroom, Rudolph notes. This type of instruction, however,often doesn't allow for arguing and debate over evidence, and students are likely tomiss the opportunity to learn very valuable reasoning and argumentation skills.

In addition, the pressure to prepare students for college might, ironically, workagainst wider implementation of inquiry-based instruction. "The time it takes toengage students with data-based argumentation might be seen by some teachersand administrators as a luxury, given the perceived need to cover a lot of content forcollege entrance requirements or other high-stakes tests," states Stewart. Granted,argumentation and in-depth investigation require time to focus on one or a fewrelated topics (e.g., earth-moon-sun dynamics, celestial motion) over a school

quarter or semester. Stewart and his"A more well-rounded scientific team, however, reason that

if students' abilities to engagein scientific inquiry and

\ \argumentation are strengthened,

7o 7on Ievidence, confronting alternative, they will be better prepared topursue post-secondary science

expla nations, adjudicating between courses and careers. (Anecdotal\ / / evidence from their research

at a Wisconsin high schoolsuggests this is the case.See "New Evolutionary BiologyCurriculum Enables Students toThink Like Biologists," page 7.)

Added to the above hurdles, are teacher-education deficiencies. Typically, mosthigh school science teachers have not had a chance to learn scientific research skillsthemselves during their own college careers or through school-supportedprofessional development programs. School administrations, Stewart notes, shouldencourage teachers to get the experience and professional development that wouldenable them to confidently engage their students in a more complete scienceexperience. For example, there are workshops, he points out, in which teachers canbecome more familiar with evolutionary biology and ways to teach it. The BioQUESTCurriculum Consortium (www.BioQUEST.org; see page 2) is a good resource forteachers seeking rich learning opportunities in biology.

Yet Stewart worries that teachers seeking such enrichment might get less thanadequate support from school administrations. The time it takes to build arespectable science program goes beyond that typically provided by schools. Forexample, a school's administrators might expect a two-week (often less) work-shop to be sufficient as teacher professional development. But researchers andteachers collaborating at Monona Grove High School spent several months at atime developing curricula2 for evolutionary biology, astronomy, and genetics thatreflect the aims of science education. Although such a developmental time framemight appear a luxury in today's high-pressured educational environment, theresearchers have evidence that such long-term investment bears rich fruitboth in terms of teachers gaining content knowledge and pedagogical skills, andin terms of students learning and understanding science. (For related reportsand articles, see the NCISLA Publications page at www.wcerwisc.eduincisla.)

(continued on next page . . .)

experience would involve students in

developing scientific argumentsbased

those, and coming to some consensus\bo\ est/

fit the dite" says Rudolph.

O 6

REVOLUTIONARY

( . . . continued from previous page)

"Significant change requires a significant investment of time and resources,"states Stewart. These curricula, he notes, reflect a respectable investment inteacher professional development on the part of school administrators at MononaGrove. Such investment might appear steep, but in the face of teachers'

professional development needs andwantsand student learning goalsthe

researchers contend that it isworthwhile. Clearly, states Stewart,school leaders know that there'smore involved in professionaldevelopment than investing "$12.00an hour for two weeks a summer."

Monona Grove High Schoolstands out, notes Stewart, as a clearexception to typical schools, wheresuch innovation is rare.

"Significant change requires

a significant investment of

time and resources,"

notes Stewart.

RESULTS AND RESOURCES ONLINE AT NCISLA WEB SITE

Findings of long-term science education studies conducted by Stewart andcolleagues are accessible through journal articles and reports listed at the NCISLAweb site (www.wcetwisc.eduincisla, "Publications" page). Interested readers mightalso check out the "Readings for the Road," on page 11 of this newsletter.

In addition, Stewart and his colleagues have recently placed on-line theevolutionary biology curricula mentioned here and described in more detail onpage 7 of this newsletter. The new NCISLA Modeling for Understanding in ScienceEducation (MUSE) web site (www.wcetwisc.eduincisla/muse) now features bothin-depth astronomy and evolutionary biology curricula and teacher-tools, ofspecial interest to educators seeking to strategically reform scienceinstruction and support teacher professional development.

' National Science Board. (2000). Science and engineering indicators-2000 (NSB-00-1). Arlington, VA:National Science Foundation.

These curricula were co-developed with lead teacher-researcher Sue Johnson and researchers Jennifer Cartier,Sam Donovan, and Cindy Passmore. See the NCISLA web site's (www.wcer.wisc.edulncisla) Publication and TeacherResources pages for more information about the Modeling for Understanding in Science Education curricula andresults from studies conducted at Monona Grove High School.

EGRag7ORFORMATION

DIRECTOR

Thomas P. CarpenterUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI

ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS

Paul CobbVanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN

Jim StewartUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI

AFFILIATED INSTITUTIONS

Freudenthal InstituteUtrecht, The Netherlands

University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA

University of Massachusetts-DartmouthNorth Dartmouth, MA

University of MiamiMiami, FL

Wisconsin Center for Education ResearchUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI

Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN

NEWSLETTER INFORMATION

Volume 5, Number 1 o Winter 2002

Communication DirectorSusan Smetzer-Anderson

Senior EditorFae Dremock

Newsletter ProductionLinda Endlich

Instructional Media Development CenterSchool of Education, University of Wisconsin

Madison, WI

0 0 0 CENTER MISSION o o oDedicated to improving K-12 mathematics and science education for all children, the Center's mission is to craft, implement inschools, and validate principles for designing classrooms that promote understanding of important ideas in mathematics and science.Based on long-term, in-class research, the Center aims to

1 . Identify important, unifying ideas of science and mathematics that students should learn.2. Describe how students learn these ideas with understanding.3. Identify elements of classroom instruction that help students achieve learning with understanding, and demonstrate in

classrooms that these forms of instruction result in students learning big ideas of mathematics and science with understanding.4. Describe how professional development programs can be designed to foster teaching for understanding, and demonstrate that these

research-based programs in turn foster instruction that results in students learning big ideas of mathematics and sciencewith understanding.

5. Identify the requirements for effective school organization that support students learning important mathematics and scienceideas with understanding.

6. Create strategies to provide information and procedures so that Center research findings can be used to create similar classrooms.

Conducted in large urban areas as well as smaller cities and towns with diverse student populations (including low-income,linguistic-minority, and ethnic-minority students), Center research studies aim to identify ways in which particular design elementsenable low-income and minority students to learn and achieve at high levels.

7

New EvolluVonarry Moilogy CurnIcullumEnabges SWidents Thhlk Like 113fiollogIsts

by Susan Smetzer-Anderson

tudents participating in a new'19-week evolutionary biology

course' at Wisconsin's Monona GroveHigh School have made an importantdiscovery: They've learned that theythemselves can conduct collaborativeinvestigations, propose scientificexplanations, and apply theories(such as Darwin's theory of naturalselection) to the analysis of complex,historical data. Rather than merelymemorizing definitions and explana-tions, these studentshave learned toconstruct scientificarguments and de-bate their strengthsand weaknesses.

Through the new,innovative curricu-lum, high schoolstudents learn aboutthe nature of scientificinquiry in evolution.The students arechallenged to grapplewith three historicalexplanations of spe-cies diversity.2 Asthey analyze data-rich

PROBLEM-SOLVING REPLACES LEARNING BY ROTE

The new natural selection curriculum, accessible at the NCISLA web site(www.wcer.wisc.edu /ncisla /muse) is consistent with the goals set forth in theNational Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Scientific Literacydocuments. Based on a modeling approach to scientific inquiry, the new coursedeparts from the "more typical" evolutionary biology "taught in traditionalclassrooms, where students usually rely on a textbook that elaborates 20 pagesof definitions and concepts," comments science education researcher JohnRudolph. "Imagine a 10 grader coming to grips with any of this content withreal understanding in less than two weeks. This information tends to be thrownat students and taught in a very top-down way."

Most U.S. adults learned the textbook version of evolutionarybiology, if they learned it at all. Few learned science as aprocess that allowed them to inquire about their world, asrecommended by the 1995 national science standards. Theresearch team contends that learning by rote continues tosubstitute for scientific inquiry in many of today's classrooms,particularly with regard to evolutionary biology.

"Typically, there are few, if any, opportunities for students toactually solve problems, as evolutionary biologists do," statesresearcher Sam Donovan. "Students may get a question at theend of a book chapter, such as 'What is natural selection?'But students will get no sense that evolution is a problem-solving endeavor."

Evolutionary biologists study patterns and interactionsamong organisms. For example, in the desert southwest, theyucca moth and the yucca cactus depend on each other forsurvival. How did this interdependence develop, and whatfunctions does it serve? Questions like these drive scientificinquiry, data collection, and explanation building. Students,

however, rarely have an opportunity to experience this scientific process.As a result, they often leave school with a very foggy picture of the nature ofscientific inquiry.

The research team, led by Stewart and collaborating teacher Sue Johnson,has designed and evaluated the impacts of science-as-inquiry courses for morethan 12 years. For the past five years, the team has been developing and pilot-testing the evolutionary biology course described here. Although it focuses onDarwin's theory of natural selection (see The Natural Selection Model, page 9),the course also introduces students to other explanations for species diversity.

"Because one of our goals is to build a classroom research community thatencourages student reasoning and discussion, we want to address up frontthe major views that students bring to the study of evolution," states researcherCindy Passmore.

At the beginning of the course, students read about William Paley's(1743-1805) model of intelligent (divine) design, Jean Baptiste Lamarck's(1744-1829) model of species adaptation, and Charles Darwin's (1809-1882)model of natural selection. After they read abridged versions of each author's

(continued on next page . . .)

Students learn to analyze data anddevelop scientific arguments throughthe evolutionary biology coursedeveloped by NCISLA researchers andcollaborating teachers.

case studies about speciesdevelopment, the students learnto work together as a researchcommunity and also come to realizethat scientists are like detectives,piecing together evidence and theory.

Students' responses to the coursehave been positive. Importantly,science education researcher JimStewart, of the National Center forImproving Student Learning andAchievement in Mathematics andScience (NCISLA) at the Universityof Wisconsin-Madison, notes thatparticipating students developeda sophisticated understanding ofevolutionary biology and the naturalselection model.

o 8

MC1431iT§M11331103E BIOLOGISTS

( . . . continued from previous page)

original work, they discuss the authors' different explanations for speciesdiversity. Students then explore the phenomena that inspired the authors'scientific models. Students examine fossils, as discussed by Lamarck; theydissect an eye to examine the structures that so fascinated Paley; and they viewsome of the pigeon breeds described by Darwin in Origin of Species (1859).

"Given the assumptions informing these theoretical models, any of them canwork," states Donovan. "However, not all the assumptions are consistent witha scientific worldview." By examining them the first few weeks of class, thestudents have a chance to compare the models and the assumptions on whichthey are based. They also clarify the distinct mechanisms that underlie thenatural selection model. From this foundation, the students analyze three casesof species adaptation, employing the natural selection model to define processesthat might have led to changes or adaptations in the species over time.(See Scientific Case Studies Propel Students' Learning.)

SSEOgRNOVOE CADE 4413SD01 4 P03© t! gVUDlEGNSSO LEARMOM@

The MUSE evolutionary biology course features three increasinglychallenging case studies. These case studies do not lend themselvesto quick interpretation. Rather, the case studies provide students entréeto the practice of evolutionary inquiry and understanding of complexbiological concepts and processes.

Students work on the case studies in groups, analyzing and discuss-ing data and their possible interpretation within the framework of thenatural selection model. The in-class analysis, discussion, and presenta-tions to other investigative teams in the class require up to a week percase study. NCISLA researchers have found that as students engage deeplyin data-based inquiry and model-based reasoning, the students cultivatea much deeper understanding of evolutionary biology. (See the readinglist on page 11 for articles about students' learning.)

FEATURED CASE STUDIES

1 .Seed variations To introduce students to the tools of evolutionaryinquiry, this case provides a very detailed data set about seedcharacteristics of a hypothetical plant species.

2. Monarchs and viceroys Taking an approach very different fromthat taken in traditional science text books, this case studyengages students in considering the origins and selectiveadvantage of bright (warning) coloration of differentbutterfly species.

3. Sexual dimorphism in pheasant coloration This case requiresstudents to account for evidence and develop a research grantproposal that explains the importance of reproductivesuccess (versus survival advantages) conferred by brightcoloration of male pheasants.

&kg study materialsNatural

availableSelection nEtt

Claffit9Mfat3R,Overview

wisc.edulneisla/muse,C2di Materials section.

STUDENTS CONFRONTCOMPLEXITIES OF

EVOLUTIONARY INQUIRY

Using the natural selection modelactually forces students to confrontthe same scientific dilemmas thatevolutionary biologists confront."Because they are often unable todirectly observe events, evolutionarybiologists rely on historical data andprobabilistic models, such as naturalselection, to understand evolutionarychange," explains Passmore.

Various types of data, such as fossilrecords, similarities among organisms,and molecular information, make upthe indirect evidence evolutionarybiologists use. Students learn howdifficult it is to sift indirect evidence asthey evaluate data that are both rich andperplexing. Working together, thestudents begin to learn that science is asmuch about conducting collaborativeinquiry as drawing conclusions. Theyconstruct explanatory models aboutincreasingly complex research cases andpresent these to their classmates fordiscussion, analysis, and debate. Thecourse builds a scientific community asthe students learn to ask questions andcritique one another's work.

"The course definitely challengesstudents to learn and understandevolution at a deeper level than merelymemorizing definitions or theories,"states Johnson.

Passmore adds, "Students can't'fudge' their answers in this class.They have to confront their ownunderstanding and take responsibility fortheir learning. From the beginning, weset up classroom norms about how theycan question, discuss, and present theirideas and models, similar to whatscientists do in their work."

According to the researchers, thestudents become very involved andanimated as they work together onscientific questions, even if at first theyare uncomfortable with the new learn-ing environment. The different coursestructure, Johnson points out, might alsobe challenging to teachers, because it isso student centered. She states,"Although the teacher is a contributor,he or she is not center stage."

Johnson's comment raises animportant question facing the researchteam: How can this education strategybe implemented by other teachers inother schools? Although this course is inline with the science standards,it still differs from typical scienceinstruction. The group is aware of thedifficulty of transferring the innovativestrategy adopted at Monona Grove HighSchool to other schools, where teachersmight rely on traditional textbooks forcurriculum coverage.

NEW CURRICULA REQUIRESINVESTMENT IN TEACHERS

Donovan notes, "Dropping this typeof instruction into a normal, year-longscience class would be a challenge.It requires teachers to establish newclassroom norms to guide studentinteractions. It also means that teach-ers will need to learn how to assessstudent mastery of those norms."

Rudolph adds, "In some ways, thetop-down strategy that most teachersuse makes for easier classroommanagement especially whereteachers feel challenged to coverthe textbook." For example, newhigh-stakes tests in some states exertpressure on teachers to "teach to thetest." To assure that their students passthese tests, teachers might try to covera lot of material, but not in great depthbecause of time constraints. As a result,students miss the opportunity toengage in in-depth inquiry.

Lead researcher Jim Stewartrespects teachers' skills, as well as thepredicaments they face. "Many veryaccomplished teachers have the sameintent we do to challenge studentsto work hard, inquire, and more deeplyunderstand science. But it's difficult forthem to do this on their own in theirclassrooms, without support."

Many teachers work in schoolswhere curricular changes take a longtime to happen. They also might bechallenged in the same ways theirstudents are, having themselves beentaught at universities and schools thatscience involves memorizing defini-tions, rather than inquiring into ideas or

ORICGIM `511;933103E BIOLOGISTS

Oar IRWRIJEn11 41EINC4UCDR9 Kl©B120.Proposed by Charles Darwin, the model of natural selection posits that1. organisms produce more offspring than are able to survive.2. because of limited resources, members of a species struggle among

themselves for survival.3. variation naturally exists among individuals of the same species.4.. some variations increase the likelihood that certain individuals

will survive to produce offspring.5. because variations are inherited, the offspring of survivors will

likely possess the advantageous variations as well.

theories. "If you really think about it,"Stewart adds, "the challenge of teachereducation reaches into both universityscience and education classrooms."

Changing science instruction,including the way evolutionary biologyis taught, requires a reassessment bythe education community of its goalsfor science education. Teachers alsoneed support to try new strategies,such as those initiated at MononaGrove High School. The importance ofadministrators' support, states Stewart,cannot be underestimated.

STUDENTS ENJOYINTELLECTUAL SPOTLIGHT

With the pilot study behind them, theMUSE research team has continued torefine the new evolutionary biologycurriculum. Now posted to the NCISLAweb site (www.wcetwisc.eduincisla), thecurriculum is accessible to teachersnationwide. Based on studies conductedof students' learning, the researchersare finding that students developed asophisticated understanding of thenatural selection model throughparticipating in the course. Two formerstudents, Megan Pfeiffer and MattKebbekus, displayed their understandingat a poster session of the 1999 NationalSociety for the Study of Evolutionconference. According to Johnson andStewart, the two students were represen-tative of their entire class.

Kebbekus, now a college student atthe University of Wisconsin-Madison,describes his experience at the nationalmeeting: "We put together postersbased on our class work, and ourposters were very articulate and clear."The posters featured the students'

O 10

explanations about why male ring-necked pheasants are brightly coloredin comparison to the duller-coloredfemales. The posters also outlined anexperiment the students devised to testtheir explanations.

Remembering his science-teachingdays, Stewart says, "I couldn't imagineselecting any of the students I taught

as bright as they were andbringing them to a national meetingand having them interact withevolutionary biologists the way thesestudents did. They understood theevolutionary biology. And any of thestudents in the class could have donejust as well."

After the meeting, Kebbekus' fatherapproached Sue Johnson to talk aboutthe class and his son's experience. "Hethanked me," Johnson said, "becausehis son became thoroughly engaged inthis class. He was coming home atnight and talking about the cases wewere working on. He was excited, hesaid, because what students werethinking was important, and he wasn'texpected to just parrot back somethingthe teacher had said."

Matt Kebbekus concurs, "I likedbeing able to think for myself andapply creativity to science. Afterfinishing the class and participating inthe conference, I feel confidentdiscussing evolution with anyone."

For a more detailed course description, see the NCISLAResearch Report, No. 00-1: A course in evolutionarybiology: Engaging students in the "practice" ofevolution, by Cynthia Passmore and Jim Stewart(available at www.wcer.wisc.edu/ncislalpublications).

2The course materials include abridged readings ofJean Baptiste Lamarck's (1744-1829), William Paley's(174 3-1805) and Charles Darwin's (1809-1882)theories of organism design. These materials areavailable at www.wcerwisc.edu/ncisla/musel.

EVO1111M10 ARY HOC 1C MERROCOM DIEBUT ON-LI

NCISLA's Modeling for Understanding in Science Education (MUSE)project has launched a new, in-depth web site to feature three sets ofscience curricula consistent with the goals set forth in the NationalScience Education Standards and Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy. Thecurricula and teacher's guides support middle and high school scienceinstruction focusing on astronomy (earth-moon-sun dynamics),evolutionary biology (natural selection), and classical genetics(forthcoming in late 2002), with each unit unfolding over nine weeks.

Led by Jim Stewart, NCISLA researcher and professor of Curriculumand Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the MUSE teamfor more than 12 years has worked with ten teachers and approximately1,250 students at Wisconsin's Monona Grove High School. Through thisintensive partnership, the team has developed new curricula, studiedstudents' learning, and supported teachers' professional development.

The MUSE project's central premise is that scientific modelingenables students to learn to engage in scientific inquiry as they learnkey concepts and ideas. The MUSE team's teacher-partners claim thattheir instructional practices have changed in significant ways, and theyhave marveled at their students' learning and capacities to reason deeplyabout complex scientific ideas and to present arguments justifyingproposed scientific models. Students' understanding of scientificmodels, assessed through various means, has been found to increasethroughout the courses. (See, for an example, in Brief. High SchoolStudents "Do" and Learn Science Through Scientific Modeling, Winter 2000,on-line at www.wcer.wisc.eduincislaipublications.) The middle and highschool students who have participated in the MUSE courses and studiesare representative of the range of students that attend the school fromsurrounding rural and suburban areas.

Modeling for Understanding in Science Education (MUSE)

Web Site Offers Teachers Rich Science Curricula - for Free!

EARTH-MOON-SUN DYNAMICS (celestial motion) 2ttiraiNATURAL SELECTION \."CLASSICAL GENETICS

O scientific modeling

O course materials

O scientific benchmarks & standards

O assessment strategies

O classroom learning environments

The Modeling for Understanding in Science Education (MUSE) projectrepresents a significant teacher-student-researcher collaboration.Based on long-term research and development, the new MUSE web sitefeatures in-depth curricula. These on-line resources provide teachersaccess to scientific modeling strategies that can enable students toengage in inquiry and learn key concepts and ideas with understanding.

WHAT WILL YOU FINDAT THE MUSE WEB SITE?

An overview about usingscientific modeling as aninstructional approach

o Course materials andteacher's guides focusingon natural selection, earth-moon-sun dynamics, andclassical genetics

o The scientific benchmarksand standards addressed bythe MUSE curricula

Strategies for assessingstudent learning

o Research reports aboutstudents' learning, includingresearch about students'

a. knowledge of Darwin'smodel of natural selection

b. abilities to use thenatural selection model toreason about diverse datain sophisticated ways

c. intellectual skills associ-ated with scientific modelingand defense of models

Examples of student workfrom the project classrooms

o Extended descriptions ofthe classroom learningenvironment

The curricular materialspresented on the MUSE web siteare rich and well documented. Theweb site also serves as aprofessional development tool forteachers. Teachers are invited toinvestigate and use the free MUSEcurricula and also to inform theMUSE team about their experiencenavigating the web site.

AD OAD

Interested in reforming science education practices and curricula?The research-based articles, papers, and books listed below might be useful.See also the NCISLA web site (vvww.wcer.wisc.eduincisla/).

Teaching about evolution and the nature of scienceNational Academy of Sciences Working Group on Teaching EvolutionWashington, DC: National Academy Press. (Available at http: / /www.nap.edu /catalog /5787.html)

Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A guide for teaching and learningNational Research Council, Committee on the Development of an Addendum to the National ScienceEducation Standards on Scientific Inquiry. Steve Olson and Susan Loucks-Horsley (Eds.). Washington, DC:National Academy Press. (Available at http: / /www.nap.edu /catalog /9596.html)

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Reconsidering the nature of science as a curriculum componentRudolph, J. L. (2000). Journal of Curriculum Studies, 32, 403-419.

Evolution and the nature of science:On the historical discord and its implications for educationRudolph, J. H., & Stewart, J. H. (1998). Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 35 (10), 1069-1089.

Considering the nature of scientific problems when designing science curriculaStewart, J., & Rudolph, J. L. (2001). Science Education, 85, 207-222.

A modeling approach to teaching evolutionary biology in high schoolsPassmore, C., & Stewart, J. (in press). Journal of Research in Science Teaching.

NICUSLA RESEARCH REPORT

A course in evolutionary biology: Engaging students in the "practice" of evolution(Res. Rep. 00-11Passmore, C., & Stewart, J. H. Madison, WI: National Center for Improving Student Learning and Achieve-ment in Mathematics and Science. (Available at http : / /www.wcer.wisc.edu /ncisla)

Off you wouOd Eike wawa iinfformatilon about efiese pubOlicatuons, contact the . .

nNATIONAL CENTER FOR IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING & ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS & SCIENCE

Wisconsin Center for Education Research University of WisconsinMadison 1025 W Johnson Street Madison, WI 53706Phone: 608.263.3605 Fax: 608.263.3406 Email: ncisla@education.wisc.edu Web Site: http://www.wcerwisc.edu/ncisla

PRINCIPLED PRACTICE IN MATHEMATICS & SCIENCE EDUCATION is published by the National Center forImproving Student Learning and Achievement in Mathematics and Science, at the Wisconsin Center forEducation Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This publication and the research reported herein are supported under the Educational Research andDevelopment Centers Program, PR/Award Number (R305A960007) as administered by the Office of Educa-tional Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. The opinions expressed herein are those of theauthors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the supporting agencies.

....1Permission to copy is not necessary. a This publication is free on request.

flfl 12

ElPRINCIPLED PRACTICEIn Mathematics & Science Education

Evolutionary Biology InstructionWhat students gain from

learning through inquiry

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vollutionary zoology OnstruthonA Special Issue of PRONCOPLED PRACTICE

Practical questions addressed in this, newsletter include

o Why should we teach students evolutionary biology?

O How does learning through inquiry support students'learning and understanding of evolutionary biology?

O In what ways does the new Modeling for Understandingin Science Education (MUSE) curriculum support bothteachers' professional development and students'learning evolutionary biology with understanding?

NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING

& ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS & SCIENCEWisconsin Center for Education ResearchSchool of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison1025 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706

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