Those who oppose the teaching of evolution often say that evolution should be taught as a "theory, not as a fact." This statement confuses the common use of these words with the scientific use. In science, theories do not turn into facts through the accumulation of evidence. Rather, theories are the end points of science. They are understandings that develop from extensive observation, experimentation, and creative reflection. They incorporate a large body of scientific facts, laws, tested hypotheses, and logical inferences. In this sense, evolution is one of the strongest and most useful scientific theories we have.

The concept of evolution has an importance in education that goes beyond its power as a scientific explanation. All of us live in a world where the pace of change is accelerating. Today's children will face more new experiences and different conditions than their parents or teachers have had to face in their lives.

The story of evolution is one chapter—perhaps the most important one—in a scientific revolution that has occupied much of the past four centuries. The central feature of this revolution has been the abandonment of one notion about stability after another: that the earth was the center of the universe, that the world's living things are unchangeable, that the continents of the earth are held rigidly in place, and so on. Fluidity and change have become central to our understanding of the world around us. To accept the probability of change—and to see change as an agent of opportunity rather than as a threat—is a silent message and challenge in the lesson of evolution.

The following dialogue dramatizes some of the problems educators encounter in teaching evolution and demonstrates ways of overcoming these obstacles. Chapter 2 returns to the basic themes that characterize evolutionary theory, and Chapter 3 takes a closer look at the nature of science.

Front Matter (R1-R10)

Chapter 1: Why Teach Evolution? (1-10)

Chapter 2: Major Themes in Evolution (11-26)

Chapter 3: Evolution and the Nature of Science (27-46)

Chapter 4: Evolution and the National Science Education Standards (47-54)

Chapter 5: Frequently Asked Questions About Evolution and the Nature of Science (55-60)

Chapter 6: Activities for Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science (61-104)

Chapter 7: Selecting Instructional Materials (105-120)

Appendix A (121-122)

Appendix B (123-123)

Appendix C (124-129)

Appendix D (130-132)

Appendix E (133-134)

Index (135-138)

Credits (139-140)