As a former STEM teacher, I think it’s safe to say that one of a science instructor’s biggest challenges is to instill in students an exciting and genuine sense of discovery through the scientific process. With so much emphasis on approved curriculums and sometimes-rigid state standards, it can be an uphill climb to demonstrate free and open-ended inquiry. This can be true in home and private schooling environments, just as much as in the public classroom.

Here, then, is a unique opportunity for home educators and private school teachers. It’s Intelligent Design Education Day, this month in Seattle and Dallas. This is your chance to introduce your class to some respected scientists who are pioneers of open inquiry and proponents of intelligent design (ID), an exciting and well-supported scientific theory of origins in competition with traditional Darwinian theory. ID considers the evolution of life with an eye to discerning objective evidence of purpose operating in biology and cosmology.

Whether you’ve introduced your students to ID or not, they’ll benefit greatly from hearing an overview of the study of design in nature as well as updates on ongoing research. Best of all, they will get to meet, talk with, and challenge (yes, please do!) a few of the leading scientists and scholars in the movement! Speakers include evolutionary biologist Richard Sternberg, physicist Brian Miller, paleontologist Günter Bechly, philosopher of science Stephen Meyer, and science historian Michael Keas.

This is an all-day event, offered completely FREE and only once a year, so don’t miss out! Classes are welcome, and so are individual students, teachers, and parents. To learn more about or register for the Friday, March 23, ID Education Day in Dallas, TX, visit the event page here or contact Pam Bailey at pbailey@discovery.org or 972-731-4314. If you’re interested in the Wednesday, March 14, ID Education Day in Seattle, visit the event page here or contact me, Daniel Reeves, at dreeves@discovery.org or 206-292-0401 x1510. These dates are right around the corner, so don’t forget to register today!

What question could be more important than the origins of life? Use this occasion as a launching point to foster spirited conversations in the classroom — comparing the available theories with the evidence, and allowing students to form their own informed opinions. Great follow-up activities could include in-class debates, argumentative essays, or research projects. This event will be sure to trigger lots of exciting questions and discussion!

Want a preview? See here for the top six lines of evidence for ID, and here for Frequently Asked Questions.

Photo: Protein scientist Douglas Axe, author of Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life Is Designed, at ID Education Day, Seattle, 2017, by Janine Solfelt.