Developmental Progression in Learning About Evolution in the 5–14 Age Range in England

Abstract

In this chapter, we review our research into the teaching and learning of evolution across the 5–14 age range (Key Stages 1, 2 and 3). This work was stimulated by changes in the science national curriculum in England, our intention being to engage in collaborative research with teachers to generate informed guidance for effective teaching and learning. Our original focus was on the mandatory curricular requirements for ‘evolution and inheritance’, newly introduced into the programmes of study for ages 9–11. Closer engagement with teachers and pupils clarified the challenge and opportunity to take a broader, more universal, view of progression in this curricular domain. The need we perceived was to link disconnected fragments into a coherent experience of progression reflecting the underpinning breadth, depth and interconnectedness of evolutionary theory. In the first phase, five themes were identified to make this ambition manageable: variation, fossils, deep time, selective breeding and macroevolution, exploring what ideas can be developed, at what age and in what order. A second phase looked across the primary–secondary transition in more detail at pupils’ access to the concept of macroevolution, exploring several alternative representations of the Tree of Life metaphor. Complementing the initial emphasis on conceptual understanding, the second-phase enquiry included an exploration of epistemic and communicative processes using science argumentation, where pupils explored and articulated which aspects of various representations of macroevolution helped or hindered their understanding. Some resulting classroom-validated instructional design strategies are described.