Modern astronomy as a field of inquiry may be shaped by what we consider the "scientific" ways of knowing. However, the history of astronomy as a human endeavour dates back millennia before the "modern" notions of "science". This long history means that astronomy is, at its core, built on a rich cultural diversity and…

The history and philosophy of science course is among the very important courses for prospective teachers in terms of understanding the development of science, evaluating its social and cultural context, developing scientific thinking skills, and better understanding and teaching scientific knowledge. Studies on this subject are important in terms…

Science should provide students an accurate and contemporary education on genetic influence, particularly how it impacts trait variability and developmental norms. Stories involving familial, racial, and sexual differences routinely appear in the popular media and sales of over-the-counter genetic tests are mounting. Unfortunately, research…

This essay opens with a question about what science teaching would look like in a world where categorical seams of human diversity were not probabilistic determinants of science learning. After revisiting Hewson and Hewson's description of an "appropriate conception of science teaching," I detail the ways in which the field of science…

Purpurogallin (PPG), an orange-red crystalline compound from nutgalls and oak bark, is an exemplar of numerous, ubiquitous natural colorants, biosynthesized through oxidative dimerization-decarboxylation of phenolic compounds. It possesses antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. Herein, a robust method is presented to allow…

The French natural philosopher Henri Victor Regnault (1810-1878) was one of many researchers who contributed to the development of the thermometer in the 19th century. In this paper, we use an example from Regnault's work to explore how the history of thermometry can provide a context for teaching upper-secondary chemistry students about the…

Nature of science (NOS) is considered an important component of scientific literacy. Supporting students to develop a comprehensive NOS understanding is one of the most commonly described objectives within science education. Moreover, history of science can arguably provide a good context for NOS teaching and learning; it has been suggested that…

Researchers of science education, historians, and philosophers of science agree that the teaching of nature of science (NOS) is important to be integrated into K-12 classes. Our previous research showed that NOS is not embedded into science teaching in Greece. To study the possibility of its integration, a PD-program for in-service science…

Convinced of the value of a good textbook as a teaching and learning resource, Alex Diamond set out to understand teachers' thinking about Holocaust textbooks and what it would be for a textbook to represent Holocaust history adequately. As Diamond's discussion shows, this is a multi-faceted issue. Evaluating textbook representation involves…

During the early decades of the 18th century, Newtonian physics was still new. Much effort was expended in testing its validity. One arena in which evidence could be found was the shape of Earth. Was it perfectly spherical? On the observational side there were two hints. In 1671 Jean Richer had measured the rate of ticking of a pendulum clock near…

History of education reveals that the perimeter of a school subject as well as the manner of teaching it may vary according to the time period, the country, its political situation and its economic needs. Furthermore, if it clearly depends on the level of the learners and on the school itself, sometimes the teacher's preoccupations can adapt it.…

In high school, and also in introductory physics courses in higher levels of schooling, the law of universal gravitation of planets is introduced by postulating Johannes Kepler's three laws, and later Isaac Newton's law of the inverse of the square of the distance to the Sun. The justification of the laws is only achieved in advanced courses in…

An interdisciplinary approach to science education through history of art is proposed. The approach is innovative, as the artworks complement the history, philosophy and sociology of science contents to increase students' interest and motivation. The approach integrates humanities and science education through history of art, which requests…

Background: Science history is a discipline that teaches the development of scientific thought and the discoveries of scientists. However, these topics can sometimes be abstract and difficult to understand. The use of technology can make the teaching of the history of science more effective, engaging, and accessible. By providing students with…

We describe an educational activity that can be completed with mobile media devices in order to understand the working principle of a pair of tuning forks, from the Historical Collection of Physics Instruments of the University of Palermo, and how they were used to explain acoustic interference and beats with the Lissajous optical method. This…