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ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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I have another scenario to throw out for consideration seeing as I was confronted
with it just last week. I teach a science enrichment neuroscience class for 7-13
year olds. We weren't talking about evolution but an 8 year old asked if brains
turn into fossils which got us off track talking about dinosaurs for a while.
Then the same child asked me why god created dinosaurs before humans. Not why
did dinosaurs exist before humans but specifically why did GOD create dinosaurs
first. I was completely taken off guard and seriously did not know how to
respond. I bumbled through a response saying that it is hard for scientists to
study dinosaurs since we can't go back in time and all we have is their fossils
but that there is some evidence that dinosaurs were better able to survive in the
environment that the world had in the past. The child raised his hand again
eager to ask more questions but I said we needed to get back to talking about
neuroscience instead of dinosaurs and went back to my planned lesson. The child
was clearly disappointed in not being able to ask more questions especially since
I said during our first class that they could ask me science questions about
anything.
Anyone else been in a similar situation- or have pointers on how to preceed. If
the class was for adults or even high school students I probably would have
engaged in a full evolution debate if it had come to that and I'm a bit
disappointed that the first thing that ran though my head was will this child's
parents be upset if I start talking about evolution. If a 4 year old asked me
how santa claus makes it around the world to deliver all the presents in one
night I wouldn't just tell the child santa doesn't exist even though that is the
scientific truth. Is there an age that it becomes permisable to challenge a
child to question the scientific validity of the religious beliefs they are
taught by their family?
--Kristy Sundberg
Neuroscience instructor
Elementary Institute of Science
www.eisca.org
PhD Student
U of California, San Diego
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