Honored Biology Teachers Create Study Guide for Kansas vs. Darwin
For a film on the politics of teaching evolution, who better to create our high-school study guide than two of the nation’s most accomplished Biology teachers? We first met Ken Bingman during the filming of Kansas vs. Darwin (he was one of the authors of the contested Kansas science standards) and he agreed to make a cameo appearance along with one of his classes at Blue Valley West in Olathe, Kansas. Over 18 months later, Ken saw the finished film and liked it so much, he began to use it in class as an example of science in society. We’ve stayed in touch over the last couple of years because he’s a very insightful person with a great perspective on the problems in teaching evolution, having taught Biology for 47 years.
But it wasn’t until this Spring when I asked him to write our study guide for high school science and social studies teachers that I learned the full extent of his stature and experience: Ken is a National Science Teacher of the Year, an inductee in the National Teachers’ Hall of Fame, Presidential Award Winner for Excellence in Science Teaching, a co-author of the National Science Standards, and Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher to Japan. And, he’s still teaching! (If I were in the Hall of Fame for anything, I would retire and live off my fees from autograph shows.)
Not satisfied to supply his own huge store of knowledge, Ken brought in his brother, who also taught Biology for over 30 years at high school, college and graduate school levels. He was the director and co-developer of the Inquiry Role Approach, a curriculum program for Biology Teachers and Students, published by Silver Burdette in 1974.
Jeff Tamblyn, Unconditional Films
Director, Kansas vs. Darwin
Instructive article - I enjoyed it very much! Please keep doing the good things that you are doing now. Brock Hoines