THE USES OF HISTORY IN THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM

Creationism in one of its many forms may be raised by students during science classes. Such teachable moments open possibilities for improving student understanding of the nature of science in general as well as the content of the course. Even students who enthusiastically accept scientific explanations often have deep-seated misunderstandings of evolutionary theory, the age of the earth, how organisms are related, how hypotheses are formulated and tested, and so on. Elements of the history of science often offer useful paths to take in such situations. Such examples help students confront their own misconceptions directly, allowing them to build their own conceptual skills.