SciCon 2014, NZASE, Science Educators, Conference, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand Professor William McComas William McComas.jpg Organisation: University of Arkansas Position: Professor William F. McComas is the inaugural holder of the Parks Family Endowed Professorship in Science Education at the University of Arkansas where he directs the Project to Advance Science Education (PASE). This follows a career as a biology and physical science teacher in suburban Philadelphia and professorship at University of Southern California. He has earned B.S. degrees in Biology and Secondary Education, M.A. degrees in Biology and Physical Science and the Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Iowa. McComas is interested in the improvement of laboratory instruction including science fairs, evolution education, the interaction of the philosophy of science and science teaching, science education for gifted students, and science instruction in museums and at field sites. Evolution: Its Myths, Misconceptions, Challenges and Solutions Evolution is the most important unifying concept in modern biology, yet it is one of the most misunderstood, both from scientific and historical perspectives. This talk focuses on the key aspects of evolution, reviews the widely held misconceptions about it, discusses the current status of evolution (at least in the minds of Americans), and concludes with suggestions for how evolution and its mechanism can be effectively communicated. The following three talks form a sort of evolution education trilogy, with each one exploring a different range of misconceptions about evolution and its nature. "Beaks, the Beagle . . ." discusses misunderstanding about the history of evolutionary biology, "Evolution, Education, Darwin and Divinity," examines the range of philosophical problems that some hold with respect to evolution and finally, "Darwin's Mad Dream," focuses on cognitive misconceptions widely held about evolution by focusing on an interesting error made by Darwin himself. The Myths of Science: Reconsidering What We Think We Know About How Science Works Most science teachers are fascinated by but generally unaware of the interaction of the major issues of the philosophy of science and science teaching and learning. This presentation offers an overview of the nature of science and how misconceptions regarding the philosophy of science impact science teaching and learning. In addition to exploring the definition of science, we will discuss common myths involving the nature of proof, the role of evidence, the value of falsification as a demarcation criterion, models of knowledge generation, the social dimension of science model building in science, and the fallacy of the single scientific method.

• published: 12 Jul 2014
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