2008 Joint Annual Meeting (5-9 Oct. 2008): The "Evolution of Everything" as a Paradigm for Science Professional Development

The quest for coherency in science curricula presents challenges unique to the discipline. A curriculum trajectory for science does not flow intuitively as, for example, the progression from addition to subtraction to multiplication in math. Science curricula are divided into disciplines, in contradiction to the nature of the natural world, in which matter and energy are in constant flux and in which everything is interrelated. Human beings encounter the natural world all of a whole rather than as discrete, separate entities. A major challenge in bringing coherency to science curricula is in addressing the question, “How can we frame a curriculum that attempts to describe the natural world in a system structured by disciplines?” The corollary to this question is, can “the interrelatedness of everything” paradigm be used to bring coherency to science curricula?

This interrelatedness paradigm was the basis for the design of professional development for K-12 teachers. Three “big ideas” in science were sequentially developed over three, one-day professional development institutes: big bang theory and the formation and evolution of the elements and matter up to the scale of planets; plate tectonic theory and the evolution of the Earth; and organic evolutionary theory. All three "big ideas” are intimately connected and interrelated through the common theme of change. Using evolution (broadly defined as change in any system, biological, physical, chemical) in framing professional development transcends science disciplinary boundaries. Change is a fundamental attribute of science and this attribute both creates unique challenges in constructing a coherent science curriculum but also provides a framework for bringing coherency to science curricula.