Retracing and rewriting Hooke’s Micrographia book for teaching history of science

Abstract

The history of science is an important component to acquire for achieving scientific literacy. In this study, a collaborative activity was applied in which the students were presented with the historical context in which Robert Hooke lived and developed the first register of the microscopic world. Furthermore, the students explored the environment using a microscope made by themselves, employing PET bottles and lenses obtained from CD or DVD readers and, finally, they drew and described selected objects, and collaboratively rewrote a ‘new version’ of Hooke’s classical book ‘Micrographia’. The study was performed in a secondary school, with 12- to 15-year-old students, and the hypothesis was that the planned intervention could enlarge students’ perception of historical aspects of the scientific discovery of the microscopic world, to a greater extent than traditional classes involving lectures and textbooks. The comparison was evaluated using a quantitative tool, called the History-Word-Association test (HWAT), which aims to evaluate the general vision of students regarding the agents, historical period and sociocultural circumstance involved in the issue addressed. The students that participated in the planned didactic activity showed a significant improvement in identification and retention of ideas associated with the history of the discovery of the microscopic world.