Aliens and dragons: purposefully-framed play and non-standard learning methods in teaching evolutionary processes to primary school pupils

Evolutionary processes lie at the base of entire observable biodiversity, both present and in geological past (i.e., fossil record). For this reason, teaching evolution should receive more recognition than it currently has (e.g., Poland) become accurately applied from early formal education stages onwards. To test possibility effective to primary school pupils, workshops using non-standard learning methods (‘purposefully-framed play’) were organised during childrens’ university (UNIKIDS) courses one-hour sessions for 33 groups, comprising several 20 participants, aged 7 12. The final task all participants was predict future evolutionary by creating new species adapted given environmental factors. Pupils effectively completed task, but a few misconceptions also clear. These workshop scenarios suggest that can be taught least extracurricular settings detailed insight, quantitative analysis application such programmes tested future.