Report on a Boston University Conference December 7-8, 2012 on 'How Can the History and Philosophy of Science Contribute to Contemporary U.S. Science Teaching?'

摘要

This is an editorial report on the outcomes of an international conferencesponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (REESE-1205273)to the School of Education at Boston University and the Center for Philosophyand History of Science at Boston University for a conference titled: How Canthe History and Philosophy of Science Contribute to Contemporary U.S. ScienceTeaching? The presentations of the conference speakers and the reports of theworking groups are reviewed. Multiple themes emerged for K-16 education fromthe perspective of the history and philosophy of science. Key ones were that:students need to understand that central to science is argumentation,criticism, and analysis; students should be educated to appreciate science aspart of our culture; students should be educated to be science literate; whatis meant by the nature of science as discussed in much of the science educationliterature must be broadened to accommodate a science literacy that includespreparation for socioscientific issues; teaching for science literacy requiresthe development of new assessment tools; and, it is difficult to change whatscience teachers do in their classrooms. The principal conclusions drawn by theeditors are that: to prepare students to be citizens in a participatorydemocracy, science education must be embedded in a liberal arts education;science teachers alone cannot be expected to prepare students to bescientifically literate; and, to educate students for scientific literacy willrequire a new curriculum that is coordinated across the humanities,history/social studies, and science classrooms.