Natural Selection, Morphoprocess and a Logical Field of Evolutionary Concepts

2021 ◽  
pp. 391-418
Author(s):  
A. I. Granovitch
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Evolutionary Concepts

Darwin's ““Imaginary Illustrations””: Creatively Teaching Evolutionary Concepts & the Nature of Science

2010 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan C. Love
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Thought Experiments ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Evolutionary Concepts

An overlooked feature of Darwin's work is his use of ““imaginary illustrations”” to show that natural selection is competent to produce adaptive, evolutionary change. When set in the context of Darwin's methodology, these thought experiments provide a novel way to teach natural selection and the nature of science.

scholarly journals Teaching Evolutionary Concepts in Elementary School

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-119
Author(s):  
Gregory F. Grether ◽  
Rachel Y. Chock ◽  
Madeline C. Cowen ◽  
Josue S. De La Cruz-Sevilla ◽  
Taylor N. Drake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Elementary School Teachers ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Lesson Plans ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Evolutionary Concepts ◽  
Century Science

Charles Darwin would be pleased to know that elementary school children in states that have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are expected to demonstrate their understanding of several core evolutionary concepts, including trait variation and inheritance, fossils and extinct organisms, common ancestry, natural selection, and adaptation. However, he might also wonder how this is accomplished in the demanding 21st-century science curriculum. In files linked to this article, we provide four lesson plans – with engaging examples, natural selection games, and other interactive activities – that were designed to cover the NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas in evolutionary biology for grades 3–5, in two one-hour lessons. The lesson plans were developed by college students under the guidance of evolutionary biologists and in consultation with elementary school teachers, and then field tested in elementary school classrooms, as described in an accompanying research article.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Use of Avida-ED Digital Organisms to Teach Evolution & Natural Selection

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-119
Author(s):  
Delbert S. Abi Abdallah ◽  
Christopher W. Fonner ◽  
Neil C. Lax ◽  
Matthew R. Babeji ◽  
Fatimata A. Palé
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Environment Change ◽  
Digital Organisms ◽  
Evolutionary Concepts

The concepts of evolution and natural selection remain as some of the most challenging topics to teach. The difficulty in teaching these topics arises from the fact that evolution is difficult to observe, and computer simulations do not always result in a clear understanding of evolutionary principles. Recently, the Avida-ED software has been developed to simulate evolution in a laboratory setting. Unlike other simulations, Avida-ED allows students to manipulate the environment, change the genetics of the virtual organisms, and track offspring in real time. We have demonstrated, by using pretest and posttest questionnaires, that students gained a deeper understanding of evolutionary concepts by using this software. In particular, students showed the greatest increase in their ability to explain evolutionary concepts in answers to open-ended questions. Our results show that Avida-ED could be a useful tool in helping students understand and combat preconceived notions about evolution.

Evolutionary Concepts Important to Psychiatry

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael McGuire ◽  
Alfonso Troisi
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Kin Selection ◽  
Reciprocal Altruism ◽  
Trait Variation ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Ultimate Causation ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Evolutionary Concepts

This chapter explores evolutionary concepts important to psychiatry. It discusses concepts including natural selection, adaptation, function, ultimate causation, individual fitness, self-interest, kin selection, reciprocal altruism, and traits and trait variation.

scholarly journals Developing & Testing Curricula for Teaching Evolutionary Concepts at the Elementary School Level

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-103
Author(s):  
Gregory F. Grether
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Fifth Graders ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Substantial Improvement ◽  
School Level ◽  
Public Health Medicine ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Evolutionary Concepts

Evolution by natural selection is key to understanding life and of considerable practical importance in public health, medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) include natural selection among several evolutionary concepts that all third-graders should know. This article explores a novel approach to developing and testing curricula for teaching natural selection and related concepts to children. College students developed lesson plans with specific evolutionary learning objectives based on the NGSS and taught them at elementary schools. Learning was assessed with a pre/post-test design, and a subset of students was retested after two years. After just two hours of instruction and active-learning activities, students of all three grade levels tested (grades 3–5) demonstrated substantial improvement in their understanding of evolutionary concepts. Students who were retested in grade 5 scored higher than fifth-graders who had not participated previously. The most challenging concepts for all grade levels were common ancestry and natural selection, but fifth-graders showed more improvement than third- and fourth-graders. If this finding is substantiated by further research, an adjustment to the NGSS schedule might be warranted. Spacing evolutionary biology concepts out might be a better strategy than concentrating them all in grade 3.

Natural selection and "sudden death."

1979 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-275
Author(s):  
David Chiszar ◽  
Karlana Carpen
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Sudden Death

The Natural Selection of Minds

1998 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-264
Author(s):  
Joseph F. Rychlak
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Selection Of
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document