A role for history and philosophy in science teaching

Matthews, Michael R.

doi:10.1007/bf01807043

Cited by 112 publications

(115 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…To take science seriously, according to many scientists, philosophers, and historians of science (Good, 1995a(Good, , 1995bGross & Levitt, 1994;Matthews, 1994;Slezak, 1994), it is necessary to assume a universal position on nature and the natural sciences. In the book Science and Relativism, Matthews (1994) uses the words of various scientists, including Max planck and Albert Einstein, to support the universalist position:…”

Section: Universalism Vs Cultural Relativism In the Natural Sciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Discovering indigenous science: Implications for science education

Snively

Corsiglia²

2000

Sci. Ed.

339

135

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Indigenous science relates to both the science knowledge of long‐resident, usually oral culture peoples, as well as the science knowledge of all peoples who as participants in culture are affected by the worldview and relativist interests of their home communities. This article explores aspects of multicultural science and pedagogy and describes a rich and well‐documented branch of indigenous science known to biologists and ecologists as traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Although TEK has been generally inaccessible, educators can now use a burgeoning science‐based TEK literature that documents numerous examples of time‐proven, ecologically relevant, and cost effective indigenous science. Disputes regarding the universality of the standard scientific account are of critical importance for science educators because the definition of science is a de facto “gatekeeping” device for determining what can be included in a school science curriculum and what cannot. When Western modern science (WMS) is defined as universal it does displace revelation‐based knowledge (i.e., creation science); however, it also displaces pragmatic local indigenous knowledge that does not conform with formal aspects of the “standard account.” Thus, in most science classrooms around the globe, Western modern science has been taught at the expense of indigenous knowledge. However, because WMS has been implicated in many of the world's ecological disasters, and because the traditional wisdom component of TEK is particularly rich in time‐tested approaches that foster sustainability and environmental integrity, it is possible that the universalist “gatekeeper” can be seen as increasingly problematic and even counter productive. This paper describes many examples from Canada and around the world of indigenous people's contributions to science, environmental understanding, and sustainability. The authors argue the view that Western or modern science is just one of many sciences that need to be addressed in the science classroom. We conclude by presenting instructional strategies that can help all science learners negotiate border crossings between Western modern science and indigenous science. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 85:6–34, 2001.

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Section: Universalism Vs Cultural Relativism In the Natural Sciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the book Science and Relativism, Matthews (1994) uses the words of various scientists, including Max planck and Albert Einstein, to support the universalist position:…”

Section: Universalism Vs Cultural Relativism In the Natural Sciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovering indigenous science: Implications for science education

Snively

Corsiglia²

2000

Sci. Ed.

339

135

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Whereas the success of such movements requires concerted efforts within and outside of the science education community, teachers will certainly play a critical role in implementing the reform curricula. It is our belief that in order to educate school children to understand what science is and how scientific knowledge is developed, teachers themselves need to develop informed views about NOS, and be able to translate their understanding into classroom practices (Hodson, 1991;Lederman, 2007;Matthews, 1988). The education of teachers is absolutely imperative.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Preservice Teachers’ Views About Nature of Scientific Knowledge Development: An International Collaborative Study

Liang

Chen

Xian

et al. 2008

Int J of Sci and Math Educ

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This article presents the findings of an international collaborative investigation into preservice teachers' views on the nature of scientific knowledge development with respect to six elements: observations and inferences, tentativeness, scientific theories and laws, social and cultural embeddedness, creativity and imagination, and scientific methods. A total of 640 preservice teachers, 209 from the United States, 212 from China, and 219 from Turkey, participated in the study. The survey "Student Understanding of Science and Scientific Inquiry (SUSSI)", having a blend of Likert-type items and related open-ended questions, was used to gain a fuller understanding of the preservice teachers' views of the nature of scientific knowledge development. Across the three countries, the participants demonstrated better understanding of the tentative NOS aspect but less understanding of the nature of and relationship between scientific theories and scientific laws. The Chinese sample scored highest on five of the six Likert subscales, the USA sample demonstrated more informed views on observation and inference, and the Turkish preservice teachers possessed relatively more traditional views in all six NOS aspects. Conclusions and limitations of the present study as well as implications and recommendations for future studies, are also discussed.

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“…From their early years, children develop their knowledge, values and ways of reasoning in relation to the world they live in. This development is influenced by different factors, the most important of which are direct sensory experience and the participation in everyday social life and in formal education (Matthews, 1994;Fleer & Robbins, 2003;Tytler & Peterson, 2001). Education, from the early years, has a fundamental role to play in providing children with problem recognition and solving skills and encouraging behaviours that are compatible with environmental quality preservation (Sheehy et al, 2000) as well as sustainable use of natural resources, such as water.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water conservation in the nursery school

2013

Global NEST Journal

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Water shortage is an environmental problem that requires changes in terms of thinking and everyday practice. Education for a sustainable development should therefore aim at arousing pupils' awareness on this issue and inducing rational use of water in future citizens. The present study explores the effectiveness of a program designed for preschool children in promoting their awareness of water shortage and the importance of water conservation. A class of seventeen 5-6 year-old children participated in the study. Initially the relevant pre-existing views of the participants were recorded (pre-test). Subsequently, the program was implemented. It consisted of twelve interdisciplinary activities aiming at enhancing children's awareness of water conservation both at the level of understanding and at the level of values and attitudes. Finally, the development of children's awareness was tested (post-test). The results of the study indicate that preschool children are capable of tackling with the value of water for life, the issue of its shortage and the importance of its conservation at a primary level. Water conservation is therefore a topic that can introduce young children to the concepts of man-environment interaction and interdependence, and to assist them in developing the ability to participate in finding solutions to environmental problems.

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A role for history and philosophy in science teaching

Cited by 112 publications

References 31 publications

Discovering indigenous science: Implications for science education

Discovering indigenous science: Implications for science education

Preservice Teachers’ Views About Nature of Scientific Knowledge Development: An International Collaborative Study

Water conservation in the nursery school

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