History Of Science In The Science Curriculum: Beyond Whiggism

The history of science integrated into the science curriculum plays an important role in promoting students'scientific literacy. A taxonomic framework is proposed from the dimension of cognition, meta-cognition and emotion so that the value of the history of science can be shown more vividly. More important, it can give us some insight into the internal value of the history of science-to show the nature of science and the relation between science-technology and society. The educational value of the history of science scholars have discussed is often ideal or potential value, and the value will depend on the level of the development of curriculum and of teaching. In this process of the development of curriculum, the whig history which is criticized by Butterfield is easy to appear. In the false historical perspective, the whig history evaluate the contribution of the historical events to the current scientific knowledge.Therefore, those past theories of science which have not produced the recent scientific knowledge is considered to be "wrong" naturally.According to the internal value of the history of science, the whig history's goal is to stimulate enthusiasm of students to learn science by adding interest, and to persuade students to master the recent scientific knowledge which is seen to be absolute and eternal truth and can not be doubted by analyzing the three types of the case of whig history which often appear in textbooks. That is to say, the value of cognition and emotion can be obtained, but the value of meta-cognition can't. It is not conducive to foster students'awareness of innovation and innovative ability.The fundamental reasons which result in the appearance of whig history in the science curriculum are the knowledge-centered doctrine in the philosophy of education, naive empiricism in the philosophy of science and the anachronical view in the philosophy of history. The direct reason is the conflict between some scientists' "improper behavior" and the stereotype of science and scientists held by science educators who shape and rewrite the history of science according to their stereotypes.00Science curriculum should keep the essential tension between the whig history and the anti-whig history, which requires science educators to change their educational concept to develop students'ability; to strengthen communication with experts of philosophy of science and of history of science to enhance their own literacy of history and philosophy of science. On this basis, the latest research results of history and philosophy of science should be actively absorbed in the process of the development of curriculum in order to realize the educational value of the history of science. In addition, science teacher should guide students to understand the nature of science from different perspectives in the teaching process, and reflect their methods of teaching and evaluation at the same time. Only in this way, can we ensure the students' consciousness of innovation and innovative ability to be proved when we instruct the knowledge of science.