This paper reviews the current position of the history of education within the existing historiography of science and technology, and argues for the relocation of education from the periphery of the history of science and technology to its centre. It claims that it is essential to study science education in its entirety and complexity if we want…

This article takes up the argument from an earlier article and seeks to detail the importance and role of the history and philosophy of science (HPS), conceived as a unitary interdisciplinary field, in science education. However, on this count, it not only seeks to ground the salience for science education at the school level but also its role in…

The name Lamarck is very well known in the teaching of biology, being associated with an early effort to explain evolution. Nevertheless, when evolution is taught in the classroom, the only Lamarckian ideas that stand out are related to the 'inheritance of acquired characters', invariably illustrated by the example of the lengthening of giraffes'…

In 1900, three botanists claimed they had found regularities in inheritance, which soon would be known as Mendel's Laws, without knowing the work of Gregor Mendel or of each other. Their claims of independent (re)discovery have been thoroughly studied during the past decades, with various outcomes. The case is still of interest today as it offers…

As a member of the team that created elements 104 and 105 at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, James Andrew Harris [1932-2000] was the first African American credited in the discovery of an element. This factoid has been posted on social media, used in a quiz game, and repeated on numerous Web sites. The story (if any context is offered at all) is…

Fengshui was originally a methodology for nurture of both spirit and fertility based on the relationship between water, wind, and qi, and was first used in the selection of sites of habitation on the loess plateau of northern China. An analysis of this methodology for nurture of the physical is the purpose of this paper. Its prism is the history…

Einstein's theory of general relativity (GR) provides the best available description of gravity. The recent detection of gravitational waves and the first picture of a black hole have provided spectacular confirmations of GR, as well as arousing substantial interest in topics related to gravitation. However, to understand present and future…

Herbaria, collections of preserved plant specimens, have existed for 500 years as repositories of information about plants. Many of these collections are now being digitized, making them available to a much broader audience including students and teachers. Specimens can be used in a variety of different contexts in teaching biology, including from…

Old physics textbooks give us a great opportunity to learn about the history of science and rediscover different methods to teach physics to our students. There are many disused and forgotten experiments in them, but these can still be very useful to affirm and understand physics. This is the case of an instrument used in the 19th century to…

The connections between astronomy and timekeeping are longstanding. One approach to the teaching of Astronomy is it can serve as a unique platform to illustrate the advancement of science from ancient times along with the strong interrelation between science and religion. Here we chose to describe the influence of astronomical measurements that…

This paper discusses the emergence of science education in the seventeenth century with the influences of Joseph Priestley on the Dissenting Academies. Primarily, this paper analyses Priestley's ideas from some of his letters to scientists during his time and his ideas from his books "Miscellaneous Observations Relating to Education"…

Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) is most recalled in the history of biology for his Recapitulation Theory and the allegedly fudged illustrations of embryos that he presented in support of that case. Less well known is his contribution to abiogenesis theory, which he incorporated into evolutionary theory. In so doing, Haeckel, a vitriolic atheist, was…

Michael Faraday is considered one of the greatest science lecturers in history. He popularized the Christmas Lectures as a format of science communication that has survived until today in the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Especially, his "Chemical History of a Candle" has become a classic of science communication that has inspired…

The study investigates in the Benchmark for Scientific Literacy of Chinese Citizens. The background of issuing the Benchmark, its procedure, and contents are analyzed; the key for analysis revolves around the huge debate triggered by the Benchmark on Chinese internet. The debate can be traced to historical discussions in China, regarding the…

In this conceptual paper, we argue that social justice, morality, and healing must be at the core of an equity agenda for science education. When we view equity through this lens, teachers' and researchers' historically informed moral stances become just as important as the equitable distribution of teaching and learning resources and the…