Teaching evolution to creationist students: the ultimate challenge

Abstract

Despite overwhelming evidence for the common ancestry of life and evolution by natural selection, ideas invoking direct creation persist, disrupting teaching evolution as a central biological concept. While originating within fundamentalist Protestantism in the USA, creationist views are now prominent elsewhere and in other religions. Responses by educators include ignoring evolution; excluding evolutionary topics especially provocative to creationist students; advocating evolution while ignoring, disparaging or ridiculing creationism; distinguishing between scientific and religious approaches before considering only the scientific; and acknowledging evolution and creationist positions as different world views that one may understand, but not necessarily accept. Here, we argue that any chance of success in teaching evolution to creationist students requires elements of the last two of these approaches. Applying them requires understanding students' worldviews and the methods and limitations of science, as well as employing learning activities that engage, not alienate. In this context, we describe the creationist positions that may be encountered when teaching evolution, the fundamentals appropriate to teaching scientific method, and the teaching strategies of affirmative neutrality and procedural neutrality that educators may use to counter creationist views when teaching evolution. We regard understanding of the common ancestry of life and natural selection and other evolutionary mechanisms as threshold concepts that, once grasped, can transform students' interpretations of biology and possibly their world views. Mentioning creationism in the context of science education may be a dangerous idea, but what is worse - to establish some common ground with creationist students in the hope of leading them to an understanding of evolution, or to leave them ignorant of any evolutionary concepts at all?