history of science

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Everything and everyone has a history. Knowing the history of science is an important aspect of the subject that all students should learn. This paper will detail how history lessons can be integrated into the first semester of a high school biology course and why teaching science history is important. There are many reasons for teaching the history of science in the classroom which include: helping students to understand the contexts in which the concepts they are learning about are rooted, understanding the origins of what they are learning and ensuring that it is real science supported by studies and experimentation, being educated about what mistakes were made along the way and what was learned from them, and supporting evidence that shows students will become better learners and scientists by knowing about the history of science. A project conducted at the University of Minnesota was implemented as a way to find a role for history and the nature of science in the classroom. In their project, the professors found that historical case studies allow teachers to convey an understanding of the nature of science to their students. Teaching them the history of science shows students how scientific discoveries relate to society and how knowledge changes over time, which can lead them to better appreciate scientific achievements. Additionally, instructing learners about the history of science gives them a deeper understanding of their world and how they can relate to it by understanding the underlying historical concepts that help tie the sciences together. Science history also shows students how scientific discoveries of the past came to be a part of science today in a manner in which they are better able to appreciate what t... ... middle of paper ... ... These lessons should prove to be effective because of the many studies, such as Seker’s that show how students benefit from and improve as students from learning science history. I want to teach my students about the history of science because learning science history helps to unify many underlying concepts in biology which will help to benefit my students. Decades of research suggests that teaching students about science history benefits them in many ways. I want to give my students the best science education possible and I believe that by engaging in educational research I will be able to achieve my goal. Research is being performed all the time and currently, the research that supports teaching students science history suggests that these methods will be effective. I believe that there is a strong case to be made for teaching learners about science history.

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