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Tue, 23 Jun 2009

Please don't do anything

The British Humanist Association are getting all shirty about evolution not being in the primary schools curriculum. Primary schools are those for sprogs up to about age 11.

The BHA is dead wrong. There are plenty of far more important scientific concepts for primary schools - such as, for example, teaching the scientific method, what theories and hypotheses are, some experimental design, very basic statistics, precision vs accuracy .... And indeed more important non-scientific things they should be teaching, such as Latin, geometry and geography. Evolution is way down the list.

It isn't even "the most important idea underlying the life sciences today" like what they claim. That would be basic arithmetic, without which you can't do any science at all. You also need all the other scientific bits and bobs I mentioned above before you can sensibly talk about evolution.

I forget exactly when I first heard in school about evolution. Probably during GCSE biology when I was 15 or so. I don't think it was specifically taught either, I think it just arose out of a discussion about the mechanisms of meiosis and mitosis and how mutations can be introduced.

Posted at 11:18 by David Cantrell
keywords: politics
Permalink | 2 Comments

I agree, evolution is VERY important, but it requires some understanding of maths and science before you can comprehend the simplicity and obviousness of it.

It is beyond the ability of most primary school teachers and students and should be left until secondary school.

However at the same time all this religious mumbo jumbo should be removed from the curriculum or at least only taught comparatively.

Posted by Adam on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 at 19:17:27


I remember evolution not specifically being in my curriculum either - I had to ask my science teacher about it, to which he suggested I go and read "The Blind Watchmaker".

Great recommendation though, even though Dawkins comes across awfully on TV (as noted by Dave in the past, I think).

Posted by Ben on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 at 01:32:57


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