DENIALISM IN THE CLASSROOM: HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS WHO REJECT SCIENCE

The K-16 classroom is one of the few places in our culture where students have the opportunity to learn about science as a process. Unfortunately, many students bring with them into the classroom a host of misinformation about the nature of science and most scientific topics, especially in politically-charged fields such as climate change and evolution. This talk suggests strategies for reaching and teaching students who reject these sciences, the first of which is to realize that such opposition will not be overcome solely by presenting factual information. Attention must be paid to misunderstandings concerning science itself, especially confusion over scientific terminology, such as the word theory. Teachers and professors should clarify why science is not a “worldview” or an alternative to a student’s religion. Because of the politicization of topics such as evolution and climate change, many students believe there is much evidence against the standard scientific views of these topics, and this misconception must be directly countered.