Geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky famously stated that “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Biochemical processes, aspects of anatomy and physiology, ecological relationships, and more can be explained and understood better by understanding and teaching the underlying process of evolution.

Unfortunately, despite its importance, research has shown that “public acceptance of evolution in America is a long-lasting problem.” While the proportion of Americans who accept the concept has increased in recent years, it still remains relatively low at barely over 50 percent. In addition, there is a concerning wide range of misconceptions that are held by students regarding the topic.

Problems with a ‘Change Over Time’ Approach to Teaching Evolution

For a topic that is the underpinning concept of all of biology, it is essential that it be taught well and with care. If you ask a random student who has taken a life science course what evolution is, chances are they will respond with “change over time.” Many teachers throughout the world, published curricula, and even some state standards and assessments all use this precise phrasing.

It’s one of the quick and easy definitions, like “educated guess” for a hypothesis, that are used frequently because they simplify the concept enough to make it easy to remember. The propensity of students I teach to remember this definition years after taking biology shows how well the definition has accomplished this goal.

This definition is likely the most common way to teach evolution in the country and has been for a long time. Many teachers approach teaching evolution using the same definition that they were taught, or that is in their curriculum, but this can lead to misunderstandings among students. I have found that certain common misconceptions, particularly the idea that individuals can evolve, seem to be strengthened by this oversimplified definition.

When many people think of evolution, they think of it as that simplified concept of something changing over time, often visualizing something akin to the cover of an Animorphs book, which is how the word is now used in the vernacular.

Read the full article about teaching evolution by Mike Delmont at Edutopia.