In a 1944 letter to Robert Thornton, Albert Einstein described the pedagogical value of HPS, expressing his concern that “[s]o many people today – and even professional scientists – seem to me like somebody who has seen thousands of trees but has never seen a forest.” While he was responding to Dr. Thornton’s inquiry about the role of HPS in collegiate science classrooms, the importance of HPS is no less significant for K-12 science education and science teacher education efforts. While the types of historical and philosophical questions suitable for K-12 students are likely different from those appropriate to higher education, their value is still considerable. At a time when public trust and understanding of science as a whole seems to be on the decline, the need to address these issues is even more pressing.
In this roundtable, we will be discussing not only the importance of HPS for K-12 science education and science teacher preparation, but also avenues by which historians and philosophers can contribute to their successful inclusion in K-12 instruction. The panel includes individuals involved in classroom teaching, teacher education, and HPS. The intent is to share ideas based on our own experiences with science teachers and to generate discussion among the attendees.
Participants include historians and philosophers of science, professors of science education, and former national award-winning high school math and science teachers. All have experience working with and presenting to K-12 science teachers.
