A number of factors propelled changes in science education when I first entered teaching. One important event was Russia’s launch of the satellite Sputnik 1. I vividly recall viewing Sputnik…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Instructors at an NSF Oceanography Institute I attended in the mid-1960s were still using the term “continental drift” to describe the apparent movement of continents with…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Recycling has become a distinctive of modern life. Citizens who were alive during World War II, however, may recall a few formal recycling practices, such as…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 In the 1960s I recall the relatively new term “ecology” becoming popular. At first some used the term synonomously with the word “environment,” as in certain…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 During my career as a science educator there were times my wife (a math educator) claimed there was a factor stacked in my favor in capturing…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Discussions of normal, everyday weather events have retreated to obscurity in the past several weeks. Instead, we have had enough tragic cyclones, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Stewardship of God’s gifts in the natural world is a multi-faceted duty. It should be approached and implemented with knowledge, perception, and responsibility. Scripture’s guidelines include…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Bible commentary on nature’s wonders inspires respectful awe for the grandeur and beauty of creation. Other passages pose problematic descriptions for a few readers. For example,…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Let’s reflect on the Garden of Eden into which Adam was placed. I have always been surprised at the brevity of the Bible account contrasted with…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Attitudes about the death of living creatures are wide-ranging. My young earth friends are convinced that all death and bloodshed in the natural world is a…