On the first day of EvoKE 2017, participants split into small discussion groups in one of two break-out sessions.

Extending evolution into the human domain

Facilitated by: Dustin Eirdosh

Evolution scientists and educators agree that our species is a product of evolutionary processes, yet what does this mean for how students understand the nature of humanity, and how should educators engage this subject? This breakout session will explore recent advances in scholarship as well as educational projects that aim for a more global and interdisciplinary understanding of human evolution.

Creationism in Europe: is this an issue ?

Facilitated by: Héloïse Dufour

In this session we will discuss how common is creationism in Europe. Is it really a problem? What progress has been made since the 2007 resolution of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on “The dangers of creationism in education.”  What may explain creationism trends across European countries? What impacts does this have on  the scientific literacy of Europeans? How can educators and others counter the creationist narrative?

Applied evolution: evolution in our daily lives

Facilitated by: Thomas Meagher

Evolution is everywhere and has strong impacts in people’s everyday life. However, most people are unaware of this or have a poor understanding of evolution. In this session we will discuss some interesting examples and how we can use them to promote public understanding of evolution and recognition of the importance of scientific research on this topic.

Evolution and formal science education

Facilitated by: Ute Harms

Several studies suggest that evolution is a challenging topic to teach. In this session we will discuss the challenges faced by teachers while teaching evolution. What teaching practices are the most effective to promote evolution understanding? What is the best age to teach about this topic? What can be done to improve the teaching of evolution across Europe?

Evolution and public science literacy

Facilitated by: Adria Le Boeuf

Studies show that evolution understanding is significantly correlated with knowledge on the nature of science. In this session we will discuss the state of scientific literacy in Europe and how can evolution be used to increase european knowledge on the nature of science and european science literacy.

Communicating evolution effectively in the media

Facilitated by: Joost van Kasteren

Science media have a fundamental role in promoting the public understanding of  science. How can we successfully communicate  evolutionary biology topics to the general public? How can we improve communication between evolutionary biologists and journalists? How can we communicate evolution without reinforcing widespread misconceptions? What are the most important challenges faced by science journalists and how can we overcome these?

Communicating evolution effectively in informal learning environments

Facilitated by: João Cão Duarte

Museums, science and nature reserves can play an important role in increasing the public’s awareness and understanding of evolution. Which are good examples and what is the key to their success? What have we learned from science exhibitions on evolutionary biology? What are the most important challenges to communicate evolution in informal environments and how can we overcome these?

Addressing evolution education in the international context of Europe

Facilitated by: Nicklas Gericke

European countries differ from each other in their cultures, languages, school systems and curricula. In this diverse context does it make any sense to talk about European projects in evolution education and outreach? What obstacles will we face when trying to implement European wide projects? Can cultural and biological diversity in Europe be used to strengthen international projects? What can be the benefits of European wide projects? What resources and funds are available to promote European wide projects?

The art of evolution (literature, art, theatre): using art to communicate evolution

Facilitated by: Szymon Drobniak

How can we use art to communicate evolution concepts and to reach an audience that is otherwise hard to reach? In this session examples from successful art-science projects will be highlighted. We will also discuss what can be done to further promote art-science projects and understand the impacts on the public.

Evolution in citizen science: engaging citizens in evolution research: a citizen science approach

Facilitated by: Soledad Luna

Citizen science projects promote a deep engagement of the general public in scientific research. In this session we will discuss how these projects can contribute to research in evolutionary biology.  How can we use citizen science projects to interest people in evolutionary biology? Can the general public suggest topics to research? How can citizen science projects contribute to make science more democratic? And how can these contribute to European scientific production? Examples of successful projects will be discussed.