Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune in: Society and Science

60 minutes

Find out: The lasting legacy of scientific mistakes

30 minutes

Take action: How do we learn from our mistakes?

Tune in: Society and science

Step 1. Explain to students that when scientific theories are misinterpreted or selectively applied, they can perpetuate harmful situations or stereotypes that can cause damage. This can be due to the values of society at the time.

Step 2: Watch the first 90 seconds of this video which explains Nuclear Fission and what happens if this process is not controlled.

(Watch from 0-1:33 mins)

What is nuclear Fission? FuseSchool - Global Education (youtu.be/D91T-B-PVE0)

Ask students the following questions:

What could the benefits of using nuclear fission be?
Do you know of any disadvantages of using nuclear energy?
What could some of the disadvantages of this technology be?

Step 3. Explain to students that the concept of controlled nuclear fission has phenomenal impacts on energy production. However, these principles can also be exploited to cause harm, as they were with the invention of the atomic bomb, which was responsible for the death of over 100,000 people in Japan in 1945.

Step 4. Ask students where they think the responsibility sits in this situation. Is it the scientists? The Governments? Or a combination of both?Explain to students that the political climate at the time meant humans used this technology for warfare. Use this example to introduce and discuss with your students the relationship between Scientific Discovery and Society and how they often depend on each other.

Find out: The lasting legacy of scientific mistakes

Step 1. Just like atomic theory was distorted to create nuclear weapons. Darwin's theory of evolution combined with Mendel’s theories of inheritance and European notions of ‘race’ and superiority were turned into Eugenics.

Eugenics is the scientifically inaccurate theory that humans can be improved through selective breeding of populations using knowledge of genetics and heredity. Eugenics paved the way for scientific racism, where scientific theories were misappropriated to argue the superiority of white Europeans (Source: National Human Genome Research Institute).

Step 2. Watch this video which traces the history of the eugenics movement in the US and how the belief in superior genetics led to forced sterilisations. Please note it may be useful to pre-watch this clip to assess its suitability for your class. It discusses the act of forced sterilization and mentions sexual promiscuity.

The movement that inspired the Holocaust - TED-Ed (youtu.be/6zCpRVP1DgQ)

Forced sterilisation of human beings was not the only outcome of the ideas behind Eugenics. The same logic used by Nazis to justify the holocaust to create their ‘superior’ Aryan race was also present in the British Colonisers' treatment of First Nations Peoples.

Step 3. First Nations Australians are still experiencing the far-reaching negative impacts of early colonial attitudes and behaviours: invasion, colonisation, dispossession, displacement, exploitation, forcible removal of children, discriminatory governmental policies and violence. While many of these actions have stopped and attempts to reconcile their negative repercussions have been attempted, this behaviour was justified at the time by the British colonisers who didn’t understand, respect or value Indigenous Australians (Source: Australians Together).

These attitudes set in motion events and policies that established systems and institutions impacting First Nations people today.Ask students the following:Considering the scientific thinking of the time, why do you think the British colonisers didn’t understand, respect or value First Nations Australians?

Suggested Response: The British colonial system believed they were superior to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They thought they were more advanced and intelligent due to their perceptions of what it means to be those two things.

Where might any beliefs about the supposed superiority of the British colonisers come from?

Explain to students that this feeling of superiority stemmed from two aspects of society at the time:

The belief and attitude that the white ‘race’ was morally and intellectually superior as a result of perceived societal and technological advancement

Scientific misconceptions and the skewed interpretations of Darwin's Theories of Evolution and Mendel's Theories of Inheritance.

Step 4. Ask students to read the following quotes

Quote 1: ‘In Australia, between 1910 and the 1970s*, governments, churches and welfare bodies forcibly removed many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. These children became known as the Stolen Generations. Their removal was sanctioned by various government policies (AIATSIS 2022a), which have left a legacy of trauma and loss that continues to affect First Nations communities, families and individuals today.’ (Source - Australians Together - The Stolen Generations)

Quote 2: ‘The trauma experienced by Indigenous people as a result of colonisation and subsequent policies, such as the forced removal of children, has had devastating consequences. The disruption of our culture and the negative impacts on the cultural identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has had lasting negative effects, passed from generation to generation. The cumulative effect of historical and intergenerational trauma severely reduces the capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to fully and positively participate in their lives and communities, thereby leading to widespread disadvantage. This is particularly true for our children and young people who we must recognise are hurting. They have been witness to, and experienced first-hand, the trauma that past government policies have had on their families and communities. Without adequate opportunities to overcome trauma, young people internalise their experiences and seek to find their own means of coping. This often results in negative behaviours such as high rates of drug and alcohol addiction, violence directed at themselves and others, criminal behaviour and interaction in the justice system, gang membership, homelessness and leaving school early.’ (Source - Healing Foundation)

Step 5. The following is a research task for students to answer the following question considering their reflections on the quotes above

How did science and society's attitudes in the 19th century lead to the negative impacts on First Nations people that are still being experienced today?

Divide students into at least 5 groups.

Assign each group a chunk of the History Timeline from the Immigration Museum. This timeline traces significant historical events relating to prejudice against many non-European countries and cultures, affecting society, their beliefs and governance strategies. You can choose to guide students to focus on Australian examples in the timeline or the whole timeline if you have time and want a more holistic approach.

Historical Timeline: Immigration Museum - Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours

Group 1: 1500 - 1850
Group 2: 1850 - 1900
Group 3: 1901 - 1945
Group 4: 1946 - 1980
Group 5: 1981 - Today

Ask students to go through their chunk of the timeline and think about how science and society influenced the events they see. They might like to represent their findings in a table like the one below or a mind map.

Scientific Principles/Misconceptions

Societies Attitudes

Impacts

To help students in their research, you might like to direct them to learn more about the following concepts, which have a role in many of the injustices experienced by cultures and countries in the timeline, especially First Nations Australians.

Phrenology
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution - Social Darwinism
Mendel’s Theories of Inheritance
Eugenics and Scientific Racism
Eugenics - Britannica Kids

Step 7. Bring the groups back together and share knowledge from each chunk of the timeline.Ask students to consider the two quotes above and their research to discuss the answer to the question - How did science and society's attitudes in the 19th century lead to the immeasurable negative impacts on First Nations people that are still being experienced today?

Take action: How do we learn from our mistakes?

Step 1. Darwin's Theory of evolution gave rise to the phrase ‘Survival of the fittest’.Ask students what this phrase means to them.

Step 2. Explain to students that during colonisation, it was commonly assumed that this phrase meant First Nations peoples would eventually become extinct through contact and competition with the ‘superior European race’ (Teacher Background Information - Australian Curriculum). However, this phrase refers to those who could be expected to survive because they were better adapted to their environment.Ask the students what does this knowledge make them think and wonder about what they have learnt in this lesson.

Step 3. The Sentinelese people are an uncontacted tribe widely considered to be the most isolated tribe in the world. They live on North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean. They vigorously reject all contact with outsiders. Their wish to be uncontacted is respected and monitored.Source: Christian Caron – Creative Commons A-NC-SABelow is a map representing where North Sentinel Island is located: it is a tiny speck underneath the red pin.Source: Google Maps

Ask students the following questions:

How do these people survive in their environment?
Why might they not want to be contacted?

Suggested Response: Neighbouring tribes were wiped out after the British colonised their islands - They have a lack of immunity to common diseases.

Is there a potential connection between the size of North Sentinel Island compared to Australia and why they are left alone?

There are protections for the Sentinelese people to remain isolated and uncontacted. Discuss with students the following question:

Has society learnt from its mistakes?
What makes you say that?

Reflection

What can we do in the future in Science to ensure scientific theories are not misused to inflict harm or prejudice?

Differentiated learning

We trust that teachers are the best equipped to know how to cater to the diversity in their classes. At Cool.org, we incorporate a variety of differentiation strategies into each lesson.

Firstly, each lesson in this unit appeals to an array of different learning preferences. Learning activities can be completed in a number of different ways, e.g. if a student feels more comfortable speaking rather than writing, there are opportunities to accommodate this. In lessons featuring group work or learning stations, we trust teachers to use their discretion in knowing how to best organise their students for positive working relationships and ability. Graphic organisers and scaffolds are often included so students can ‘visually think’ and keep a record of their work.

While our lessons are designed to be 55 - 60 minutes in length, we trust teachers will manipulate lesson and segment times according to the needs of their students.

Is Science Truth? - The Lasting Impact of Scientific Misconceptions

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