In defense of modest goals when teaching about the nature of science

✍ Scribed by Michael R. Matthews

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 46 KB
• Volume: 35
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-4308
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-2736(199802)35:2<161::aid-tea6>3.0.co;2-q

✦ Synopsis

This article mentions briefly the long tradition of proposals for including historical and epistemological elements in science programs; it draws attention to some contemporary educational issues that hinge upon interpretations of the nature of science, especially constructivist proposals; it mentions the range of philosophical debate on the merits of constructivism; it examines one goal commonly advanced for teaching about the nature of science and suggests that this can amount to indoctrination; and, finally, it proposes a modest goal for such teaching.