Margaret Ptacek: Making evolution come alive in the classroom.

Vivid examples are the way to catch students' attention, according to Margaret Ptacek, an associate professor of biology at Clemson University. Passionate about her own research focusing on how species have evolved over time, Ptacek thinks that using real-world examples and in-class experiments to explain evolution will make the concepts easier to grasp than if read from a textbook. Ptacek teaches an upper level evolution class at Clemson, and trains high school teachers at a summer course in effective ways to teach evolution. Click below to hear her explain how examples can bring evolution to life, and why teachers shouldn't shy away from discussing intelligent design.