BCSE critiques "Explore Evolution"

“Explore Evolution” is the latest shot in the ‘get ID creationism into the public schools’ strategy of the Discovery Institute. It’s a book aimed at home schoolers and public schools that purports to use an “inquiry-based” approach to teaching evolution. In fact what it does is use an “error-based” approach, one laden with strawman arguments and the usual creationist distortions and misrepresentations of the science. The National Center for Science Education has a detailed analysis of the trash that the book conveys to students.

Now the British Centre for Science Education has prepared a shorter pamphlet (pdf), based on the NCSE material, which is aimed mainly at British schools. An outfit named “Truth in Science” (what else?) sent the book to many schools in the UK, and BCSE is responding to that wallpapering of their schools with ID creationism.

Leaving aside the UK-specific material relevant to their national curriculum, pages 7-15 of the pamphlet (pdf) are a succinct and readable rebuttal of the glop in the book, and would be useful for anyone involved in this effort in the UK or elsewhere. It’s designed as a teacher resource and does a good job. Highly recommended.

Hat tip to NCSE on Facebook.