Thursday, September 22, 2016

Teaching Controversial Issues: Resources from GSA Short Courses - 2016 Edition




The resources housed on this site are associated with a pair of half-day short courses offered at the 2016 Geological Society of America Meeting in Denver. The courses were held on Saturday, September 24. The courses were designed so that they were complementary and several participants attended both the morning and afternoon sessions. The same instructors taught both courses. The abstracts from the conference program follow the tentative schedule. 

This is the fourth iteration of our GSA short courses on teaching controversial issues. Resources from prior years can be found by clicking below. 
Links will be added to this agenda within 24 hours of the courses' completion. 

Instructors for 2016: Don Duggan-Haas, (dad55@cornell.edu), Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth; Glenn Dolphin, (gdolphin@ucalgary.ca), University of Calgary; Robert Ross, (rmr16@cornell.edu), Paleontological Research Institute and its Museum of the Earth; Mark Nielsen (nielsenm@hhmi.org), Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Cosponsors: National Association of Geoscience Teachers; GSA Geoscience Education Division

Short Courses 518 Teaching the Anthropocene Part 1: Controversial Issues 1 & 528 Teaching the Evolution of Life & Earth: Controversial Issues 2


8:00
Introductions of instructors and participants - Everybody
8:25
8:35
9:10
The geologic timescale
  • What is the purpose of stratigraphic boundaries? - Rob
  • And issues of scale as a crosscutting theme for controversial issue - Don
10:00
Break
10:10
11:00
Evidence is essential but not enough - teaching controversial issues - Don
11:15
Panel Discussion (all participants) - Discussing Discussion & Debate 1
12:00
Lunch
1:00
Very brief introductions
1:15
2:00
Public Understanding of Evolution and Evolutionary Relationships - Mark and Rob
3:00
Break
3:20
Know your audience: The role of worldview and cognitive biases
  • Everyone - start of panel discussion
3:50
Panel discussion – (all participants) Discussing Discussion & Debate
4:50
Concluding Remarks/Evaluation

Some other related resources (also remember to see prior years' resources above):



Abstract for 518: Humans are having a profound and lasting effect on Earth’s systems. In recognition of this, scientists have proposed that we are now living in a new geologic epoch called the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene is an admission that humans are fundamentally changing the nature of Earth systems—a politically, if not scientifically, controversial proposition. This is one of two connected courses on controversial issues that may be taken separately or together. Questions addressed include: Why are certain issues controversial? How do controversial issues differ from one another? How can we help learners focus on deepening understandings rather than fortifying positions? What does the history of controversy teach us about dealing with these issues? Both courses will investigate the teaching of controversial issues from theoretical perspectives and provide nuts-and-bolts strategies to make teaching such topics more effective and less divisive. Both courses will also present the latest research on the relevant topics and highlight free ready-to-use classroom resources for K–16 teaching about human impacts on planet Earth, all related to the core idea of Earth and human activity found in the Framework for K12 Science Education and The Next Generation Science Standards.

Abstract for 524: Evolution and a deep history of Earth have long been publically controversial, which provides challenges and opportunities for teaching. This is one of two connected courses on controversial issues that may be taken separately or together. Questions addressed include: Why are certain issues controversial? How do controversial issues differ from one another? How can we help teachers and learners focus on deepening understandings rather than fortifying positions? What does the history of controversy teach us about dealing with these issues? Both courses will investigate the teaching of controversial issues from theoretical perspectives and provide nuts-and-bolts strategies to make teaching such topics more effective and less divisive. Both courses will also present the latest research on the relevant topics and highlight free ready-to-use classroom resources for K–16 teaching about human impact on planet Earth, all related to the core idea of Earth and human activity found in the Framework for K12 Science Education and The Next Generation Science Standards.


Possible questions for panel discussions:
  • Are there elements that all controversial issues share?
    • Other than the scientific content, how should the approach to climate and energy differ from the approach to evolution or the Anthropocene (if they should differ)?
  • What would go into a taxonomy of controversial issues?
  • What goals do you have for your work related to controversial issues?
    • What’s needed to meet those goals?
    • What are the biggest obstacles to meeting those goals?
    • How long will it take to meet those goals?
  • Are there strategies that apply broadly to teaching controversial issues?
    • Are there strategies to universally avoid?
  • How does our work change for different audiences?
  • What does worldview have to do with controversial issues?
  • What is the role of scientific literacy?
  • What is the role of cognitive bias?
  • How does confidence in a position help and hurt the messenger?
  • Boundaries of controversy -
  • Discuss how much time is needed for effective programming and the role that short programs can play in meeting goals.  
  • Controversial issues are emotional issues. Perhaps the most conspicuous emotion is anger. What other emotions are important? How?
  • Psychologically, it is more challenging for most of us to process things that don’t happen than things that do happen. How does this complexify the teaching of controversial issues?

Important issues/cross-cutting themes:
  • Worldview; and not everyone within a worldview sees the science in the same way
  • Providing tools and strategies to be the messenger
  • Controversial issues are always dealing with more than one thing
  • Popular vs. scientific controversy
  • Reverse tribalism/group think
Related resources: