I am not sure how one could intentionally "tap" into natural selection, but it is interesting that that research into strenghthening the telemeres of one's DNA can aid in passing on the best of one's genetics by inclusion of a good omega-3 to omega-6 (15:1) diet. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121001140957.htm for an introduction to this topic. DNA/Mitochondria/Telemere research is opening an entirely new avenue in understanding how genetics can be made better and lives extended.
I've realised my question wasn't very clear..by 'tap into' I meant ways of trying to understand what children understand about natural selection. I'm talking very rudimentary elements, as 4-10 year olds will only have a very basic understanding of genetics-if any!
Thank you for your contributions so far
Hmm... It seems to me that a good grasp of natural selection would depend on an understanding of some simpler concepts, like death, reproduction, mutation (not necessarily genetic, but just that individual organisms are all a little different or something like that), adaptation, etc. Then, if the child has some good reasoning ability, they could probably put it together to get a sense of natural selection. So, maybe a good starting point would be to see what the child thinks of those concepts? I mean, I know some young kids don't even understand that every living thing dies, so that would pretty much rule out an understanding of natural selection right there...
Thanks Adam, this is exactly along my lines of thinking..I don't think it's as easy to distangle related biological concepts into separable ones...perhaps I should focus on a task that may include related aspects..
An approach from a Thorndike/Skinner point of view might help increase a child's understanding of natural selection. Behaviors that have consequences of pleasure (positive reinforcement) are retained while those that are not are discarded or reduced. Children 4-10 understand that. They not only behave accordingly, but they can verbalize the essence of contingency.
It will take a very well read primary school child to have an inkling what it is about since natural selection isn't something that is even mentioned at that stage. Should hopefully change with the new curriculum. May need to explore this with some children first. but my guess is that most wouldn't have heard about it. Don't know if it is worth giving them some material to read or play with before checking if they could grasp the concept.
To truly teach natural selection beyond the philosophical level we must also teach about living organisms, mitochondrial DNA, how they work with DNA, ATP, and the like. I believe many of the principles of what we do know now can be simplified in a series of lessons for all ages, but we must guard against giving the impression that all of these things happened spontaneously--for we know that mitochondrial DNA resides in the human body as an alien albeit it is a necessary one for life itself to function. Where it came from is still a question in science, making anything we explain about its origins a theory. By leaving the questions open we are also allowing for competing theories and explanations.
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