Contribuições da história das ciências para o ensino e a aprendizagem da natureza da ciência

Abstract

The subject of the present paper comes from the issue that, even though history is a common element in the science classes, it is usually presented as an introductory narration, reductionist, rhetorical conclusions, hence, strengthens the scientist image of science’s nature and the didactic value of science’s history becomes compromised. Furthermore, the teachers weren’t actually contemplated with epistemological, historical or social questions. In that sense, the goal of this thesis is to comprehend how the insertion of science’s history influences the process of teaching and learning science. In order to do so, we resort on a qualitative methodology, enabling, through reflection of texts that treat about science’s philosophy and history’s contributes, thus extending this debate to science education. The thesis has been divided in three chapters that articulate amongst each other. First, we must analyze Hempel’s description (1981) about the historical case of Doctor Semmelweis and puerperal fever that happened in the 19th century, in order to enlighten the relation of historical approach with the conceptions about science and its implications in teaching science. Posteriorly, considering the already identified crisis in science teaching, we deepen in the adequate knowledge about science history’s contribution to a discouraging and insignificant education, educating scientist students or even drawing them away from science, by considering it impersonal and annoying. Furthermore, the teachers weren’t really contemplated with the issue, in order to understand how science history may contribute to minimize the crisis, therefore improving the teaching and learning of science, that’s what’s structured in the last chapter. As a result we understood that learning about science is essential to scientific education, in that sense the knowledge of science history can also improve the teacher’s training, by helping them to develop a more authentic science comprehension and therefore contributing to learning and teaching of science to be more significant and close to the young people’s reality, because science history, once introduced correctly in teaching, associated with philosophy strengthens the understanding of the scientific thinking by setting the fight between ideas and facts that compose the knowledge, humanizing science and helping to connect it into the social, ethic, cultural and political aspects. However, we must avoid any fabricated history to be considered valid, opposing ourselves to any distorted insertion of the construction of scientific knowledge. Science history assumes, then, preponderant role in the pedagogical work of construction of the scientific knowledge, being fundamental the familiarity with science history and that the professors obtain philosophical knowledge so that, consciously, expose a historical reconstruction carried by the philosophical stance purposely applied to teaching. Therefore, this paper collaborates to extend the academic studies about science history’s relation with science teaching, furthermore, through its reflections and discussions, this study brings in a clear specific manner a fundamental perspective about science history, to the teacher formation and to the teaching of science, in order to achieve an critical science education and to fulfill the current educational demands.