your student states he don't believe in biological evolution because its a theory, how do you teacher respond

Answer 1

For this answer I will assume he or she is in the 9th grade.
As a teacher you have to respect the views of the students while upholding the curiculum. I would eplain to the student that althougth evolution is a theory so is the religious views of creation. If you do not wish to go into the religous aspect of evolution, I would suggest that you show proof of concept, so to speak. Break out the psters and videos of how we all a common ancestor. Show comparisons between mamals. For instance compare the bones of mamals like horses, monkeys, and human, and show them how we all have the same bones just different arrangements.

Good Luck, but remember to be very respectful when discussing such a touchy topic.

Answer 2

I would tell him that evolution is not a theory but a fact. I would explain to him that facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts don't go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Natural selection i.e. the how of evolution is a theory and could be debated. Maybe there is a hereto un-hypothesized theory about evolution came to be. Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with natural selection. But that doesn't change the fact that evolution is and will always remain a fact.

After the explanation I will give the student some type of reward for actually questioning what he is told and not accepting everything that a teacher or a parent tells him as absolute facts. That is how knowledge grows.

Answer 3

I would point out to him/her that all of science rests on the idea that atoms exist, and that they react to form molecules - even though this idea is strictly a theory, since no-one has ever seen an atom. Then I would explain to them that "theory" in science doesn't just mean any idea that pops into someone's head, as the term is used in everyday life. To attain the status of a scientific theory, a hypothesis has to be subjected to rigorous testing, and be supported by a large body of evidence. If the student still doesn't want to accept anything that is "theory", he/she should stay away from science, where virtually everything - even most of the "facts" we accept without question - is theory, always open to modification in light of additional evidence.

Answer 4

A) tell them to precise study the definition of concept in a scientific context in the previous you're able to have an sensible verbal substitute. No "concept" ever shows up interior the 1st place without a minimum of a single fact to initiaite it. bear in mind that "concept" and "theology" proportion the comparable root word. B) in accordance to organic selection, it somewhat is lots extra possibly that pollutants will favorably opt for for organisms that would already metabolize or proceed to exist in pollutants. it somewhat is extremely, very no longer likely that people will only advance pollutants-happy lungs. this thought belies a intense fake effect of the strategies that evolution describes.

Answer 5

At that point, you explain what a theory is in terms of science and clarify the scientific method and peer-review processes. Do not challenge the child's religion or even bring it up. As a teacher, you have no right to preach to this child, and doing so will just shut him out. Basically, if he's going to refuse to learn about the stuff, it'll come around and bite him in the *** on the test. His choice.

Answer 6

Does he belive in gravity? Atomic theory? How about electricity? All theories. I would explain the scientific use of the word theory to them, since obviously no one has bothered before. And then point out the many facts including in biological evolutionary theory - like the fossil record, genetics, and natural selection.

Answer 7

Charles Darwin is the man who came up with this theory. Genetic mutations arise by chance. They may or may not equip the organism with better means for surviving in its environment. But if a gene variant improves adaptation to the environment (for example, by allowing an organism to make better use of an available nutrient, or to escape predators more effectively--such as through stronger legs or disguising coloration), the organisms carrying that gene are more likely to survive and reproduce than those without it. Over time, their descendants will tend to increase, changing the average characteristics of the population. Although the genetic variation on which natural selection works is based on random or chance elements, natural selection itself produces "adaptive" change--the very opposite of chance.

Evolution has left numerous records which reveal the history of different species. Fossils, together with the comparative anatomy of present-day plants and animals, constitute the morphological, or anatomical, record. By comparing the anatomies of both modern and extinct species, paleontologists can infer the lineages of those species. Important fossil evidence includes the connection of distinct classes of organisms by so-called "transitional" species, such as the Archaeopteryx, which provided early evidence for intermediate species between dinosaurs and birds, and the recently-discovered Tiktaalik, which clarifies the development from fish to animals with four limbs.

The popular use and scientific use of the term "theory" are very different! A scientific theory, resulting from the application of the scientific method, is an explanation for a phenomenon or set of phenomena based on extensive evidence and testing. The scientific method is a well-recognized and well-defined series of steps used to acquire an explanation for observed phenomena. A preliminary generalization, or hypothesis, is formed on the basis of careful observation of the phenomenon being studied. This hypothesis is then tested by further observations and experiments. If the information gathered from observations and experiments over time satisfies the conditions of the hypothesis, the hypothesis eventually becomes accepted as a scientific theory. For example, the atomic theory of matter states that matter is composed of particles called atoms in various arrangements. The theory of evolution is the only explanation for the origin of life that accounts for the fossil, anatomical, molecular (including genetic), behavioral and geological evidence. Although they continue to argue over the details of exactly how the various mechanisms of evolution operate, biologists long ago concluded that evolution happens. This is because evolution explains all of the evidence far better than all other proposed explanations for the origin of life.

Answer 8

I would respond by pointing out the definition of a theory, and then pointing out that theism is not even a theory, but rather a hypothesis, and then ask if he believes in god.

Answer 9

I would ask him if he didn't believe in gravity, which was also 'only a theory'. Then I would explain to him that a scientific theory is built on evidence, and I would refer to him sources that explain the many different evidences of evolution.

Answer 10

You explain the difference between a theory in laymen terms and a theory in scientific terms. The latter is actually a set of well established facts, that nobody discusses any more.