Teaching biological evolution can be difficult on a number of levels, be it student confusion arising from prior conceptions and the controversy surrounding evolution, or simply because the material is complex. Games and simulations can help to convey complex topics and also to increase variety in teaching methods. Here I describe a card game that…

Understanding genetic drift is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of biology, yet it is difficult to learn because it combines the conceptual challenges of both evolution and randomness. To help assess strategies for teaching genetic drift, we have developed and evaluated the Genetic Drift Inventory (GeDI), a concept inventory that measures…

New science standards and reform recommendations spanning grades K--16 focus on a limited set of key scientific concepts from each discipline that all students should know. They also emphasize the integration of these concepts with science practices so that students learn not only the "what" of science but also the "how" and…

Evolution is typically measured as a change in allele or genotype frequencies over one or more generations. Consequently, evolution is difficult to show experimentally in a semester-long lab course because most organisms have longer generation times than 15 weeks. In this article, the authors present an experiment to demonstrate and study…

Explores the evidence and reasoning behind the claims of biologists that variations in the genetic code are compatible with the claim of common ancestry. (Author/KHR)

Examines the role mistakes play in the molecular evolution of bacteria. Discusses the interacting physical, chemical, and biological factors that cause changes in DNA and play a role in prokaryotic evolution. (DDR)

Presents a plain English map of the chromosomes of the fruit fly that contains genes from very different kinds of studies. Represents the work of nearly a century by thousands of researchers using a tremendous variety of techniques. (JRH)

Explores the conceptions of evolutionary processes held by a group of university students (n=126) before receiving instruction on evolution. Focuses on students' linguistic usage in order to speculate about the source of some of the conceptual problems students encounter in this area. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/YDS)

Presents an activity in which students seek answers to questions about evolutionary relationships by using genetic databases and bioinformatics software. Students build genetic distance matrices and phylogenetic trees based on molecular sequence data using web-based resources. Provides a flowchart of steps involved in accessing, retrieving, and…

Describes a classroom activity that teaches the mechanism of genetic drift to undergraduates. Illustrates a number of concepts that are critical in developing evolution literacy by sampling M&M milk chocolate candies. (MM)

Analyzes 50 major textbooks in the fields of evolution, biology, ecology, genetics, paleontology, and systematics, focusing on how the conceptual framework of evolution as a process is presented and developed in those fields. Lists definitions of evolution provided in the textbooks and discusses the implications of the findings. Contains 56…

Presents an exercise to demonstrate adaptive landscaping. Describes the effects of selection and genetic drift. (YDS)

Describes a science activity on the importance of meiosis for variability. Uses a coin flip to demonstrate the random arrangement of genetic materials and explains how this results in zygotes with a new DNA combination. (YDS)

Focuses on the way learning about genetics and evolution raises ideas that pupils and adults should relate to themselves whether what is learned helps reveal what science can and cannot say about human nature. Reviews the impact of informal learning after exploring the role and influence of informal learning channels. (Contains 79 references.)…

Argues that Darwinian evolution provides a framework for understanding how a polymer such as RNA might have arisen and perpetuated itself in a changing environment. Also explains how one genetic system invents another. (DDR)