The Importance of History and Epistemology in the Designing of Earth Science Curriculum Materials for General Science Education

Abstract

The value and importance of writing, trialling and using curriculum materials which incorporate an epistemological and historical dimension are illustrated with reference to the teaching and learning of what is widely recognised as the most recent revolution in scientific knowledge. This relates to the percursor ideas of continental drift and sea floor spreading and finally to a modern understanding of the cyclical workings of the shells of the outer parts of the Earth. These latter processes have become incorporated into what is now known in academia and even the media as plate tectonic theory. The events and factors relating to the ways in which scientific knowledge was gained during the course of this revolution (1840‐1975) and the degree to which it can be analysed in Khunian terms are outlined. The educational rationale for, and the desirability of, incorporating elements of this revolution and its epistemological origins into the Portuguese National Science Curriculum at ages 13‐14 and 15‐17 years, and the explanation of the ways in which this was carried out, are highlighted by reference to the four phases of a relatively novel curriculum model. Students’, teachers’ and teacher educators’ evaluations of the effectiveness of these procedures are explained.