[js1138]

You are going to have to be more specific. Magazines like The Skeptic have science education units in every issue that do exactly what you are asking. In every issue they take a subject like crop circles, outline the history, discuss the evidence for and against, provide bibliographies.

This is just one magazine. there are many.

The textbooks I have seen do some of this also. It's pretty hard to cover every loony idea in a single book, but they do teach how science works and how we got to where we are.

I'm sorry if you missed this in your schooling. It was part of my science education, starting in seventh grade.

[Quix]

It's pretty hard to cover every loony idea in a single book,
= = = =

I don't know any healthy CREO's who are asking that even 10% of every loony idea be covered in any text books.

Straw dogs are . . . shallow and silly, imho.

[FreedomProtector]

If part of science education is "learn how to contrast the rules of evidence, examine the weight or preponderance of evidence, and determine the relevancy of evidence on grounds of prejudice (pre–judging) or one presuppositions" etc

and the are "science education units in every issue that do exactly what you are asking". etc

Way is it that one is one can apply these tests to every other "loony idea", but is restricted in the classroom from applying to the question: what is the probable origin of life: intelligent design or evolution?

Obviously there are time constraints to any class and one must choose what is important. The question of whether the question "What the the most probable origin of life?" is more relevant or important to biology class the the list of items (UFOs etc) you mentioned seems trivial. Most of your own evolutionary biology textbooks spend much time discussing the origin of life. This question is relevant and important not only to biology class but to the rest of life. Perhaps a question this relevant and important should be evaluated without presuming to know the cause of circumstantial evidence before examining it, examining the weight or preponderance of evidence, and by determining the relevancy of evidence on grounds of prejudice (pre–judging) of one presuppositions....What is the probable origin of life intelligent design or chance and natural process?