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.
- for 2015, Baltimore, MD, click here.
- for 2014, Vancouver, BC, click here.
- for 2013, Denver, CO, click here.
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
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Introductions of instructors
and participants - Everybody
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8:25
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8:35
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9:10
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The geologic timescale
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10:00
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Break
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10:10
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11:00
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Evidence is
essential but not enough - teaching controversial issues - Don
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11:15
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Panel Discussion (all
participants) - Discussing Discussion & Debate 1
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12:00
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Lunch
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1:00
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Very brief introductions
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1:15
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2:00
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Public Understanding of
Evolution and Evolutionary Relationships - Mark and Rob
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3:00
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Break
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3:20
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Know your audience: The role of worldview and cognitive biases
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3:50
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Panel discussion – (all
participants) Discussing Discussion & Debate
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4:50
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Concluding Remarks/Evaluation
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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.
- Fire and Brimstone and Fort McMurray: Considering the Implications of Apocalyptic Rhetoric in Climate Communication, Don's presentation from session T89, "Bringing the Horse to Water and Getting It to Drink: Obstacles and Innovative Ways of Getting the Religious Public to Consider Scientific Evidence." The session had many presentations of interest.
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:
- Credibility Spectrum (and associated questions). The Credibility Spectrum was created by Greg Craven and adapted by Eric Pyle.
