The Big Bang Theory - coping with multi-religious beliefs in the super-diverse science classroom
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The Big Bang Theory – coping with
multi-religious beliefs in the
super-diverse science classroom
Roussel De Carvalho
ABSTRACT Large urban schools have to cope with a ‘super-diverse’ population with a multi-
religious background in their classrooms. The job of the science teacher within this environment
requires an ultra-sensitive pedagogical approach, and a deeper understanding of students’
backgrounds and of scientific epistemology. Teachers must create a safe learning atmosphere
where students will be allowed to express their views about religion and science, especially when
studying topics such as evolution and the Big Bang Theory. This article describes a different
approach to teaching the Big Bang Theory developed in order to break down barriers that may exist
between religious beliefs and scientific understanding.
In many parts of the world, the population in multi-religious backgrounds. Additionally, within
large urban centres is becoming increasingly such a ‘super-diverse’ community, these multiple
diverse. Nowadays, the UK is characterised by systems of beliefs are likely to coexist rather than
‘an increased number of new, small and scattered, remain stratified within the local community. As
multiple-origin, transnationally connected, socio- one of the many essential aspects of community
economically differentiated and legally stratified life where multi-belief interactions happen daily,
immigrants who have arrived over the last schools and their classroom interactions add
decade’ (Vertovec, 2007: 1024), while London’s another layer to this already multifaceted system,
population has entered a period of ‘super- becoming an important frame of reference to
diversity’. This, Vertovec argues: engage students in a meaningful and tolerant
educational experience.
is characterised by a dynamic interplay of
Because of this ‘super-diversity’:
variables. These include those related to country
of origin (including nationality, ethnicity, there is clearly a pressing need to make [relevant]
language, religious tradition, regional and initial teacher education available to those who
local identities, cultural values and practise), plan to teach in mainstream schools, particularly
migration channel (related to particular labour as the demand is likely to rise with the increase
market niches and social networks), legal status in plurilingual [pluri-ethnic and pluri-religious]
(comprising a range of categories related to students. (McPake, Tinsley and James, 2007: 104)
varied entitlements and restrictions of rights),
Moreover, it becomes vital to rethink urban
social class, labour market experiences, gender
science teacher education and continuing
and age profiles and spatially specific factors
professional development programmes in order to
including local area responses by service
enable science teachers to have a greater awareness
providers and residents. (quoted in Sepulveda,
of the issues related to having a ‘super-diverse’
Syrett and Lyon, 2011: 472)
group of students within their classrooms. Current
Thus, as a consequence of these new complex teacher education must explicitly address this
interactions, schools in urban cities and new diverse cultural milieu, which certainly impinges
industrial towns have to learn to cope with a upon the dynamics of teaching and learning. The
student population that is likely to encompass design of learning episodes that are more sensitive
multicultural, multi-language, multi-ethnic and and respectful of such ‘super-diversity’ should now
SSR September 2013, 95(350) 119
The Big Bang Theory – multi-religious beliefs in the super-diverse science classroom De Carvalho
be an important feature of outstanding teachers l are constructed from experiences within the
within a thoroughly inclusive classroom. natural and technological worlds;
In addition, ‘recent theoretical contributions l are used to make predictions (Maddock 1981);
have suggested we live with a “cosmopolitan l are essentially metaphors;
condition” (Fine, 2007) and need a “cosmopolitan l are negotiated and socially constructed;
imagination” (Delanty, 2009) using a critical l involve a faith or acceptance of a particular
social lens’ (Reid and Sriprakash, 2012: 19), picture of the world;
which science education can take advantage of l inform the ongoing life of the society (Christie
by engaging and challenging students’ thinking 1990).
about how science has evolved and contributed
These notable associations made by McKinley
to our society. Further, it is also necessary to
et al. paved the way for the development of
engage teachers and students in a substantial
the project, which was designed to incorporate
discussion on how science will impact on their
different types of ‘myths of creation’, opening to
future as global citizens within this ‘glocal’ school
students the opportunity to engage with a belief
environment. However, ‘rather than relying upon
system different from their own. This usually
pupils’ understanding of their religions, teachers
involved religious beliefs of ancient civilisations
ought to prepare themselves appropriately’
as well as more current belief systems. Many past
(Ashrif, 1998: 51) in order to deal with this
civilisations have also had their own significant
‘super-diverse’ classroom, especially since ‘socio-
encounters with science, such as the Greeks and
cultural settings shape children’s everyday ideas
the Chinese (Lloyd, 2006) as well as the Arabic
and play a critical role in science teaching and
world (Al-Khalili, 2012); their contributions to the
learning (Wee, Harbor & Shepardson, 2006)’
modern world should not be disregarded and may
(Wee, 2012: 623).
be a great starting point for further discussion. On
The project ‘Science and Myths of Creation’
the other hand, curriculum purists may argue that
was developed in order to address this issue,
this aspect of science education is not specifically
which became evident to me when I was
described in the content specification of the
prompted by one of my former students. At the
National Curriculum for England and should not
end of one of our lessons she asked ‘Sir, why do I
be taught. However, in the ‘How science works’
have to learn about the Big Bang Theory? I don’t
section of one of England’s examination boards,
believe in it, my family doesn’t believe in it. Why
AQA, the Science A specification states that:
do I have to do it in school?’ The question baffled
me. I suddenly remembered a fantastic book I had science attempts to explain the world in which we
read when I was at university called The Dancing live … [and a] scientifically literate person should,
Universe: From Creation Myths to the Big Bang amongst other things, be equipped to question,
(Gleiser, 2000, 2005) and I found myself trying and engage in debate on, the evidence used in
to answer it with something like ‘Science and decision-making . . . [while] evidence must be
religion are different things, you can still learn approached with a critical eye. (AQA, 2012: 7)
science and have a personal belief in something This is clearly an invitation for the teacher and
else’. I was not satisfied with my answer, so this his/her students to engage in a critical scientific
was the beginning of a quest to prepare myself to debate, especially about the meaning of evidence.
develop a rationale to bring multiculturalism and Therefore, why not include a context that may
religion into my science classroom. be taken by many to be heresy in the science
Interestingly, in my initial research I read an classroom? Personally, ignoring students’ religious
article by McKinley et al. (1992: 586; my emphasis) beliefs would certainly be a step backwards on
about the relationship between the Maori culture my epistemological, pedagogical and educational
and science education where the authors argue that: paradigms. Additionally, the opportunity to allow
if science is viewed as a human construct then students to develop an inquisitive mind and
common ground between indigenous science and explore the world they live in is likely to promote
modern science can be described, as they both: meaningful engagement, as can be seen in the
examples of students’ work in the next section.
l use models, constructs and inventions of the
Even though many would claim some students
mind;
with a religious background may have a belief
120 SSR September 2013, 95(350)
De Carvalho The Big Bang Theory – multi-religious beliefs in the super-diverse science classroom
system that is incompatible with learning and conflict, good science teaching can help students
doing science: to manage it – and to learn more science. (Reiss,
2008: 56)
The debate rages in the media and in academic
circles. Those interested might start by reading Reiss recognises the importance of introducing
Richard Dawkins’ The God delusion followed controversial themes within the science classroom,
by the equally readable The Dawkins delusion but the likelihood of students resolving their
by Alistair McGrath to see where the academic conflicts between science and belief relies on
weaknesses of this particular form of scientism lie. deeper and more transformative episodes that
It is interesting to see that fundamentalist beliefs, make specific links with students’ cognitive
whether religious or scientific, are so passionately constructs (Ausubel, 1968) and hence challenge
argued. (Rogers, 2007: 86) their pre-existing knowledge and promote higher
cognitive skills that may result in meaningful
While some may view these beliefs as
learning. Reiss continues by saying that:
unsuitable for the science classroom, others have
already pursued this path (for example, Fisher, One very rarely changes one’s worldview as a
2006). Science and religion become discordant result of a 50-minute lesson, however well taught.
if you treat them as belonging to the same value (Reiss, 2008: 56)
system. However, scientific and religious beliefs
This means that the teacher must step out
have different ‘frames of reference’, different
of his/her comfort zone and prepare a learning
ways of constructing meaning (Kegan, 2009;
sequence that is more likely to genuinely engage
Mezirow, 2009) and thus, if managed carefully,
students at multiple levels so as to address their
a project of this nature would bring students
perceptions of scientific understanding, faith in
closer to understanding ‘How science works’ and
any particular religion and its respective ‘myth of
the intricacies of the scientific endeavour and
creation’. Further evidence supports this approach:
evidence. The Science and Religion in Schools
Project (www.srsp.net), established in 2002, also some educators have taken this step further by
provides a plethora of excellent resources that designing interventions such as role playing games
have made clear that it is possible to engage our which have proven to be successful in allowing its
‘super-diverse’ society in debates that promote participants to confront controversies associated
scientific understanding and religious tolerance. with evolutionary biology (Bentley, 2000; Duveen
& Solomon, 1994; Helgeson, Hoover, & Sheehan,
The project 2002; Passmore, Stewart, & Zoellner, 2005).
The Big Bang Theory and its corresponding (Dodick, Dayan and Orion, 2010: 1524)
sources of evidence is a recurrent topic within
Moreover, the Association for Science
the physics examination specifications in the
Education released a statement about intelligent
UK. Teachers have used many different types
design that contributes to the argument that
of resource to teach this topic, such as videos,
religious beliefs and science are separate issues. It
simulations, demonstrations, experiments and
states that:
analogies, in order to allow students to develop
a valuable understanding of the evidence for the [study of examples of controversial arguments]
Big Bang Theory and the enquiry skills required will better enable learners to take a more critical
to interpret it. The question posed by my student and informed view of claims which purport to be
made me decide to move away from the usual ‘scientific’. Intelligent Design, with no foundation
resources. When talking about the conflict in scientific methodology, cannot be classed as
between evolution and creationism, Michael Reiss science, not even bad or controversial science.
explains that it is important to take: (ASE, 2008: 13)
seriously and respectfully the concerns of students It is imperative for the science educator within
who do not accept the theory of evolution, while a ‘super-diverse’ community to engage with the
still introducing them to it. While it is unlikely that realm of religious beliefs, both past and present,
this will help students who have a conflict between in order to create a contextual reality to which
science and their religious beliefs to resolve the students are able to relate, so that they appreciate
SSR September 2013, 95(350) 121
The Big Bang Theory – multi-religious beliefs in the super-diverse science classroom De Carvalho
the multiple facets of science, religion and the The tasks are meant to have increased
multicultural world they live in. cognitive difficulty as one way of differentiating
The project was first trialled with one of between students’ abilities. This differentiation
my year 10 (age 14–15) triple science groups by outcome is important as it allows different
in 2010/11, where 28 students with predicted students to access different sections of the same
GCSE grades of A* to C were challenged to task. Differentiation by learning activity/resource
explore creation myths and the Big Bang Theory. was also used, as students were allowed to use
The project lasted for a three-week period, with any medium available in order to complete
three 50-minute lessons per week. Because of the task – paintings, posters, leaflets, essays,
curricular constraints, only the last lesson at the storyboards, comic book strips, PowerPoint
end of every week was used to check the students’ presentations, and so on – as long as the success
progress against the outcomes. A further two criteria for the tasks were achieved. This allowed
lessons were set aside for a brief presentation by students to engage their creative side when
each student. All work produced was shared with elaborating their work and explanations, which
the other students and peer-marked. Some of the was important as involvement and understanding
work was selected for display on the classroom can increase greatly when using visual stimuli to
and science corridor walls. The level of both promote explanations (Barlex and Carré, 1985).
scientific and creative engagement of the students A written explanation of their work on the Big
was very good with many high-quality pieces Bang Theory was also requested to ensure that
of work being produced, as can be seen in the they had evidence for the learning outcomes set
examples illustrated. in the school’s scheme of work. Examples of
different sections of students’ work are shown in
The tasks Figures 1 to 6.
The project had three main aims:
l To develop students’ scientific enquiry skills.
l To explain the evidence for the Big Bang
Theory.
l To evaluate similarities and differences
between science and religion.
These aims were divided into four main tasks:
l Task 1: Select one of the ancient/current
civilisations and their associated religious beliefs
(a suggested list was given) and describe and
explain its myth of creation story. Supporting
questions: What is the myth? How is it explained?
Are there any pieces of evidence/information
presented by the culture/community for the
existence of this belief system?
l Task 2: Describe and explain the scientific
‘myth of creation’. Supporting questions: What is
the Big Bang Theory? How is it explained? What are
the pieces of evidence/information presented by the
scientific community for the existnce of this belief?
l Task 3: Compare and contrast the differences
and similarities between the beliefs of your chosen
civilisation and the Big Bang Theory.
l Task 4: Evaluate the evidence/information
you have gathered and, if you so desire, make a
judgement on your position in relation to your Figure 1 A section of a student’s essay about the
personal beliefs and the scientific understanding Aboriginal ‘myth of creation’ – she was interested in
of creation. her Australian background.
122 SSR September 2013, 95(350)
De Carvalho The Big Bang Theory – multi-religious beliefs in the super-diverse science classroom
Final remarks [teachers] might understand and deal with modes
of difference and their interactions within the
The ‘super-diverse’ classroom is a reality in
socio-economic [and educational] circumstances
our urban schools and should not be taken for
affecting members of the [school] population.
granted. This important phenomenon of ‘super-
This will certainly have impacts, for instance, on
diversity has profound implications for how
Figure 2 A student’s poster about the Big Bang Theory
Figure 3 A section of a student’s hand-crafted work Figure 4 A student’s artistic interpretation of the
on the Aztec ‘myth of creation’ story of the Big Bang
SSR September 2013, 95(350) 123
The Big Bang Theory – multi-religious beliefs in the super-diverse science classroom De Carvalho
Figure 5 A student’s comic book strip about the Christian ‘myth of creation’
the “community cohesion” agenda [including our faith and the scientific method (in all its varied
science classrooms]’ (Vertovec, 2006: 32). formats). Evidence of these skills can be seen
Thus, science teachers and teacher educators in some of the students’ successful completion
should be involved in developing learning episodes of tasks 1 to 3. However, some students chose
that are sensitive to this, allowing all students to not to do task 4. Their understanding of the Big
engage with a more meaningful view of science Bang Theory was then assessed through a reading
and the benefits it has given the human race, activity where students had to identify from the
without fear of giving up their religious beliefs. text what were the main pieces of evidence for the
Developing this project was a fantastic Big Bang Theory.
experience as it enabled my students to engage Although this was a time-consuming
with scientific enquiry, as well as challenging endeavour, I believe the learning outcomes were
their perceptions about the world they live in. successfully achieved. Other science teachers in
Their feedback showed they became more aware my school decided to try out this project with their
of the meaning of scientific evidence. This own classes, achieving good student engagement
included four open-ended questions that asked and understanding of the Big Bang Theory. The
students to comment about their engagement with clear definition of the success criteria, as well as
the task, the usefulness of the task in addressing the links with their examinations, made the project
the differences between science and religion, their more relevant to students. The peer-marking also
understanding of the Big Bang Theory and a final proved to be an effective way to engage students
comment on their thoughts about the influence of with the learning outcomes. We used a tick-sheet
the project on their views about the world. with a list of the success criteria and a comment
Many claimed to have learned how to ask box. The feedback was anonymous so students
more meaningful and elaborate questions as felt more comfortable writing their thoughts about
well as how to attempt to differentiate between their classmates’ answers.
124 SSR September 2013, 95(350)De Carvalho The Big Bang Theory – multi-religious beliefs in the super-diverse science classroom
Finally, ‘teaching itself is a creative enterprise crafted over time’ (Padget, 2013: 10). The creative
and the creativity of the teacher is applicable teacher would then be able to promote engaging
in any subject: it is a combination of generic learning episodes that allow students to develop a
skills that need to be developed and consciously critical and tolerant understanding of the ‘super-
Figure 6 A student’s work on the ancient Chinese ‘myth of creation’
SSR September 2013, 95(350) 125The Big Bang Theory – multi-religious beliefs in the super-diverse science classroom De Carvalho diverse’ world they now live in. I would certainly cross-curricular work, enabling their students recommend that teachers try out alternative to peer further into the meaning of science. The classroom projects such as this, perhaps through opportunities are endless. References Al-Khalili, J. (2012) Pathfinders: The Golden Age of Journal of Science Education, 14(5), 579–595. Arabic Science. London: Penguin. McPake, J., Tinsley, T. and James, C. (2007) Making AQA (2012) GCSE Specification: Physics. For exams provision for community languages: issues for teacher June 2014 onwards. Manchester: Assessment and education in the UK. The Language Learning Journal, Qualifications Alliance. Available at: store.aqa.org.uk/ 35(1), 99–112. sciencelab/AQA-PHYS-W-SP-14.PDF. Mezirow, J. (2009) An overview on transformative learning. ASE (2008) Science education, intelligent design and In Contemporary Theories of Learning: Learning creationism: a statement from the Association for Science Theorists … In Their Own Words, ed. Illeris, K. pp. Education. School Science Review, 90(330), 12–13. 90–105. London: Routledge. Ashrif, S. (1998) Science teaching, culture and religious Padget, S. (2013) An introduction to creativity and critical values. School Science Review, 79(288), 51–54. thinking. In Creativity and Critical Thinking, ed. Padget, Ausubel, D. P. (1968) Educational Psychology: A Cognitive S. London: Routledge. View. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston. Reid, C. and Sriprakash, A. (2012) The possibility of Barlex, D. and Carré, C. (1985) Visual Communication in cosmopolitan learning: reflecting on future directions Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. for diversity teacher education in Australia. Asia-Pacific Dodick, J., Dayan, A. and Orion, N. (2010) Philosophical Journal of Teacher Education, 40(1), 15–29. approaches of religious Jewish science teachers toward Reiss, M. (2008) Teaching evolution in a creationist the teaching of ‘controversial’ topics in science. environment: an approach based on worldviews, not International Journal of Science Education, 32(11), misconceptions. School Science Review, 90(331), 49–56. 1521–1548. Rogers, M. (2007) Science and religion – a key topic for Fisher, B. (2006) Making an impact with the Big Bang. schools. School Science Review, 89(326) 85–87. School Science Review, 88(323), 75–79. Sepulveda, L., Syrett, S. and Lyon, F. (2011) Population Gleiser, M. (2000) A Dança do Universo. Sao Paulo: superdiversity and new migrant enterprise: the case of Companhia das Letras. London. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development: An Gleiser, M. (2005) The Dancing Universe: From Creation International Journal, 23(7–8), 469–497. Myths to the Big Bang. New England: Darthmouth Vertovec, S. (2006) The emergence of super-diversity in College. Britain. Working Paper No. 25. Centre for Migration, Kegan, R. (2009) What ‘form’ transforms? A constructive- Policy and Society, University of Oxford. Available at: developmental approach to transformative learning. In www.compas.ox.ac.uk/publications/working-papers/wp- Contemporary Theories of Learning: Learning Theorists 06-25. … In Their Own Words, ed. Illeris, K. pp. 35–52. London: Vertovec, S. (2007) Super-diversity and its implications. Routledge. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30(6), 1024–1064. Lloyd, G. E. R. (2006) Ancient Worlds, Modern Reflections: Wee, B. (2012) A cross-cultural exploration of children’s Philosophical Perspectives on Greek and Chinese everyday ideas: implications for science teaching and Science and Culture. Alderly: Clarendon Press. learning. International Journal of Science Education, McKinley, E., McPherson, Waiti, P. and Bell, B. (1992) 34(4), 609–627. Language, culture and science education. International Roussel De Carvalho is a Lecturer in Science Education (Physics specialism) and Physics and Physics with Maths PGCE Course Leader at the Institute of Education, University of London. Email: rdcarvalho@ioe.ac.uk; roussel_carvalho@yahoo.com 126 SSR September 2013, 95(350)
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