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Lockhart and Keil have written an interesting monograph focusing on the development of reasoning about medicine, a relatively underexplored area of research with potentially broad implications with respect to the design of more effective medical interventions. In a set of fifteen studies with well over 2200 participants they examine how children and adults combine aspects of biological and psychological reasoning to create working models of medicine. Lockhart and Keil explore developmental changes in reasoning about illness and its treatment using medicines in terms of dualism (e.g., psychological vs. physical), spatial proximity, differential timing of effects, potential side effects, and treatment tradeoffs. This commentary highlights the novel contributions of this monograph, examines issues that need additional considerations, and makes suggestions for future research. [This paper was published in: "Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development" v83 n2 p175-183 2018.]

The controversial concept of evolution makes up only a small part of the science curriculum stated in Arkansas. During the past few years, the curriculum topic of "Intelligent Design" has caught the attention of many science teachers in the public schools. The Intelligent Design Movement has been successful in attracting the attention of the general public. Intelligent Design is the belief that the origin and complexities of life can be attributed only to the action of a supernatural intelligence; the origin of life cannot be ascribed to natural causes or material mechanisms, such as those described by evolutionary science. Intelligent Design is a theory of biological origins and development. The whole concept of Intelligent Design originated in 2001 by Andrew Johnson (Gross. The chief proponents of Intelligent Design today are Christian fundamentalists and their conservative political organizations. Intelligent design is important to education for several reasons. First, it is a new approach to teaching a framework. Teachers should always be looking for other ways to explore subjects. Presently, the popularity of Intelligent Design is on the rise as a major movement in the United States, generally, and specifically, the science curriculum. It is presently under great scrutiny from historians. Secondly, Intelligent Design can propel the classroom teachers in teaching controversial subjects that make students think on higher levels of thought. Controversy teaches students 1) how to evaluate the truth, 2) how to focus on the topic including more than one viewpoint, 3) to search for some kind of common ground, 4) to define issues and points of disagreement, 5) to develop criteria for standards of reference, and; 6) to explain at least two sides of the issue.

In this interview, Brewer discusses the need to foster scientific literacy, knowing enough about science to be able to judge if an article in a newspaper or magazine, or commentary on a newscast or TV is being told in a fair and accurate way. The professor advocates asking questions and observation exercises as a means of empowering students to: (1) understand the basic concepts in the media and civic policy; (2) improve inquiry and critical thinking skills; and (3) make connections about interacting with the natural world.

This paper discusses the beginning of life on Earth, the formation of life forms, evolution, and the origin of life. The paper suggests that how life first appeared on earth is not known and may never be known. (YDS)

"An ethic may be regarded as a mode of guidance for meeting ecological situations so new or intricate 'that the path of social expedience is not discernible to the average individual'. Ethics are a kind of community instinct in the making." Fifty years after Leopold penned those words, the human component of natural resource science is so new and intricate that the path of social expediency is indeed not discernible. One definable ethic is the mode of guidance for effectively meeting the social dimensions of natural resource decision-making of the future. By expanding the philosophy of Leopold's land ethic, the universal principles of being fair, open, and honest are what underlie the apparent success or failure of current public/natural resource interactions. Drawing on extensive public process experience, it is suggested that if natural resource professionals as a community embrace the fair, open, and honest philosophy as the cornerstone of public process, then Leopold's mode of guidance will have been defined for the coming century. (YDS)

This paper argues for extending the definition of "technology" in education to include much more than just computers, and for recognizing the dangers of using technology for its entertainment purposes. Two conceptions of the proper use of technology in science classrooms are offered: (1) technology as tool; and (2) technology as topic. Specific examples of the use of technology as a tool and as a topic in high school biology and chemistry classrooms are presented. (Contains 51 references.) (WRM)

This paper presents a new perspective on mentoring foreign language teachers. It suggests that mentoring is an essential part of a program manager's responsibilities, but that it is important to individualize the process of mentoring if it is to be as effective as it can be. First, a definition of mentoring and issues surrounding it are discussed. Next, the key to successful mentoring--providing equal but not identical treatment--is described. The importance of recognizing style differences among individuals is addressed, including differences in personality type, cognition, preferred modality, conceptual tempo, and biology. Mentors who differentiate--mentor in style--report that the results are well worth the effort. In using style information to determine how to proceed with mentoring each individual teacher, some program directors prefer to have teachers first take one of the several available style inventories and then to discuss the validity and nature of the results with the individual teachers. Other program directors prefer to observe teachers and then to discuss their perceptions of styles with individuals. For a style-mediated program, it is recommended that style terminology or "type talk" become a part of the professional life of the program. Also recommends talking about style differences with the teaching team, building shared terminology that is nondiscriminatory in its characterization of personal differences, and providing an individualized approach to mentoring while also providing for the mentoring of the entire team of teachers in the program. (Contains 48 references and 11 notes.) (Author/VWL)

The article's thesis is that evolution's intellectual foundations have been steadily eroding, and that few new findings in embryology, taxonomy, fossil remains, and molecular biology are bringing us very near to a formal, logical disproof of Darwinian claims. The paper begins by discussing the evidence of a prehistoric world, then they discuss knowledge acquisition, the mechanism of evolution, types of evolution, probability and statistics, and doubts about Darwin. The paper concludes with a discussion of social Darwinism and evolution's influence on American education. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/SAH)

This paper explores different aspects of multicultural science and pedagogy and describes a rich and well-documented branch of indigenous science known to biologists and ecologists as traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Indigenous science relates to both the science knowledge of long-resident, usually oral culture peoples, as well as the science knowledge of all peoples who, as participants in culture, are affected by the worldview and relativist interests of their home communities. Given the urgency of the current environmental crisis, as well as growing worldwide recognition of TEK among scientists, government, and international aid agencies, the paper argues for the inclusion of TEK in school-based science education programs. A lengthy discussion of TEK literature that focuses on documenting numerous examples of time proven, productive, and cost effective indigenous science is also included. Contains 115 references. (DDR)

The Bioscience Industry Skills Standards Project (BISSP) is developing national, voluntary skill standards for technical jobs in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and clinical laboratories in hospitals, universities, government, and independent settings. Research with employees and educators has pinpointed three issues underscoring the need for skill standards in the bioscience industry: new employees with four-year college degrees are not prepared for entry-level technical jobs; programs fail to prepare people for specific occupations because educators do not understand the skills occupations require; and college graduates dissatisfied in entry-level positions result in high turnover rates. The bioscience skills standards development process involved a number of processes: identifying a learning occupation; conducting and validating job analysis; researching current education and training programs; developing and validating skill standards; and developing performance criteria and assessment methods. Each of the 34 integrated skill standards contains these components: scenario; workplace setting; key competency areas; tasks for performing routine procedures; tasks for solving problems; skills, knowledge, and attributes; and tools and equipment. They are designed to assist employers, educators, and current and future workers. Guidelines are being developed to implement the skills standards. (Appendixes include the validation process and results, skill standards charts and matrices, and current certification processes.) (YLB)

A collection of 18 essays originally published in "The American Biology Teacher" in a column headed "Biology Today" are presented. The essays have been reprinted in chronological order and begin with an essay published in March 1982. A variety of types of writings were selected: some focus on teaching biology, others on the science itself. Several deal with books and articles that have excited and interested the columnist over the years. The following essays are included: (1) "Books and Biology"; (2) "Turning Teaching Around"; (3) "Naturalists"; (4) "The Importance of Trivia"; (5) "Broadening Our Horizons"; (6) "Branching Out"; (7) "Things I'd Never Thought About"; (8) "Bitten by the Insect Bug"; (9) "Beginning Again"; (10) "Who Could Have Guessed It?" (11) "The Other Side of the Coin"; (12) "In the Flower Garden"; (13) "Of Chaperones and Dancing Molecules: The Power of Metaphors"; (14) "Communicating Biology"; (15) "Eye on Biology"; (16) "Loving Biology--It's About Time"; (17) "Human Biology"; and (18) "Telling About the Lure of Science." Most chapters include references. (KR)

The author explores the evolution/creation conflict and suggests what educators might do to fulfill their responsibilities with the least offense to the religious beliefs of creationists and with respect for students' right to understand their Western scientific heritage. The paper begins with a history of the confict between creationists and those who believe in evolution. The author explores the movement of evangelical fundamentalists who in the 1920s sought to dislodge evolution and in the 1980s seek equal time for creation science alongside evolution theory. Going back before Darwin to the early church, this dispute is long range over the origin, nature, and future of man, and the universe. It has often been expressed in clashes between religion and science, fundamentalism and modernism, and now born again evangelism and secular humanism. Court cases are described. Creationist organizations and strategies are discussed. Resolutions and policy statements of various groups are included and arguments for and against evolution, scientific creation, and equal time are presented. The last part of the paper talks about what educators can do. School districts should anticipate and prepare early for problems likely to arise. A "Procedures Committee" charged with dealing with conflict situations should be organized. This committee should assemble, maintain, and make available a library of information on evolution/creation and gauge community feelings. Clear procedures to reduce conflict, such as having complaints written and signed, should be articulated. (Author/RM)

This paper, which analyzes the evaluative aspect of affectivity, argues that the functional internalization of organic evolution for the formation of the intellectual system of human beings required that some means of selecting behavioral variations be devised, and that the selective mechanism devised was the affective system. From this perspective, it becomes possible to relate Pugh's (1977) conception of value-driven decision systems and his account of affective mechanisms to Cellerier's (1979a, 1979b) analysis of pragmatic and epistemic transformations. Tenuous as the resulting model may be, it gives a picture more complete than other models of the role affective evaluations play in adapting action and in constructing knowledge. In a preliminary way, the model also allows the bringing together of empirical data on problem solving, on decision making, and on the evolution of scientific thought. Further study is needed to determine whether these beginnings can mature into a full-blown theory in which other aspects of affectivity will be included. (RH)

Based on the premise that knowledge of evolutionary theory is essential for understanding the natural world, this document was designed to assist science teachers and others as they consider the issues that influence the teaching of evolution. The position is taken that there is no conflict between data and sound theories based on science and religious beliefs based on the Bible. Information and perspectives are presented under the topic headings of: (1) "The Genesis of Genesis"; (2) "Early Science Interprets Genesis"; (3) "New Data"; (4) "Creationism versus Science"; and (5) "Two Kinds of Knowledge." References are listed and the National Science Teacher Association's position statement on the "Inclusion of Nonscience Tenets in Science Instruction" is included. (ML)

Behavior analysts are having their professional identities challenged by the roles that cognition and biology are said to play in the conduct and outcome of applied behavior analysis and behavior therapy. For cogniphiliacs, cognition and biology are central to their interventions because cognition and biology are said to reflect various processes, structures, and states that cause, mediate, or change dysfunctional behavior-environment interactions. For cogniphobics, cognition represents an unwarranted return to mentalism and an unnecessary obsession with epiphenomena, whereas biology represents an unwarranted return to reductionism and an unnecessary obsession with the materialistic side of Cartesian dualism. On the side of cognition, the cogniphiliacs are right. Applied behavior analysis needs to provide a comprehensive, explicit account of behavior-environment interactions. The cogniphiliacs' argument for explanatory cognitive and biological concepts, though, often seems little more than a reversion to mentalism. On the side of behavior, the cogniphobics are right. Cognition-as-process and biological reductionism as explanation have no place in a natural science of behavior. The cogniphobics' lack of reference to historical and current contextual conditions, however, suggests that they are in part responsible for the misconceptions of the science of behavior. Contextualism may be the treatment of choice in working with cogniphilia and cogniphobia. (Seventy-seven references are appended.) (NB)

Written in 1964, the document represents experimental material of the Anthropology Curriculum Study Project. The objectives of the project were to discuss the evolution of man as distinguished from the evolution of other species and as related to culture, and to emphasize human diversity. Three brief essays are presented. The first, "The Species Concept," explains factors used to determine the classification of animals into species. The second essay, "Man As A Species," defines species as sexually producing organisms that actually or potentially interbreed and produce fertile offspring. The geographical factors of human variation are discussed. The third essay, "The Species, Man," summarizes the characteristics of man by describing anatomical function and comparing man's body with other living creatures. (KC)

Presents historical examples of analogies and examines the positive and negative influences of analogies in the field of biology. Draws on current research literature to demonstrate the contentious status that the use of analogies has in biology instruction. Critically analyzes analogies used in textbooks and classrooms and presents a possible solution to the problems they may cause. Contains 26 references. (JRH)

Today, researchers can learn about blood flow, electromagnetic fields, and chemical composition of the brain by using functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). As biologists, medical researchers, and cognitive scientists learn more about brain functions, educators must keep informed, study, and apply what they have learned in the classroom. Tomorrow's teachers must be well-versed in cognitive science. (MLH)

Argues that Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" remains a seldom-read book among both biologists and biology students. Explains that this situation presents two problems: (1) it perpetuates misconceptions about Darwin and his ideas, and (2) it prevents an understanding of developing arguments through the selection of appropriate analogies and metaphors. Contains 28 references. (DDR)

David Satcher began his career as a medical geneticist and was appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1993. In this interview, Dr. Satcher talks about the responsibilities of the CDC and explains how a childhood experience inspired his interest in medicine and his continuing commitment to community service. (JRH)

Discusses how the many problems in botany teaching are interrelated and most have existed since at least the early 1900s. Considers botany teaching at both the precollege and introductory college levels. Discusses botany neglect in biology teaching, botanical illiteracy, uninteresting or irrelevant botany teaching, zoochauvinism, research chauvinism, and weaknesses of botany teaching literature. Contains 52 references. (JRH)

Highlights the importance of the Human Genome Project in educating the public about genetics. Discusses four challenges that science educators must address: teaching for conceptual understanding, the nature of science, the personal and social impact of science and technology, and the principles of technology. Contains 45 references. (JRH)

Argues that the changing informational content of biology, tightening cost constraints, improving electronic media, increasing pressures from advocates of animal rights, and the growing evidence of the effectiveness of electronic modes of instruction are undermining the traditional belief that all students in biology should have the benefit of exposure to a hands-on laboratory experience. (JRH)

Presents the scientific basis for the impacts of the environment on children and describes the differences between adults and children in physical, biological, and social environments. The article highlights why children should not be treated as "little adults" in developing environmental policy. (GR)

Makes an argument that teachers will unintentionally impart their values to students and that it is better for teachers to be open and honest and to serve as a model of values clarification. Examines reasons for discussing such issues as dissection, anthropocentricity, evolution, and scientist's gender. (LZ)

Describes developments in the use of information technology in the biological discipline of taxonomy, using both a historical overview and a detailed case study of a particular information systems project. (41 references) (Author/MKR)

Reviews evidence that demonstrates the need for effective evolution education and analyzes the foundational, semantic, epistemological, and philosophical issues involved. Emphasizes the scientific meaning of the terms theory, hypothesis, fact, proof, evidence, and truth, and focuses on the difference between religious belief and acceptance of scientific theories. Presents practical recommendations to the classroom biology teacher. Contains 105 references. (Author/JRH)

Describes several books that relate the history and culture of Hawaii and other Pacific islands to biology. (MKR)