From 'Science in the Making' to Understanding the Nature of Science

The Nature of Science is highly topical among science teacher educators and researchers. Increasingly it is a mandated topic in state curriculum documents. This book draws together recent research on Nature of Science studies within a historical and philosophical framework suitable for students and teacher educators. Traditional science curricula and textbooks present science as a finished product.  Taking a different approach this book provides a glimpse of “science in the making” — scientific practice imbued with arguments controversies and competition among rival theories and explanations. Teaching about “science in the making” is a rich source of motivating students to engage creatively with the science curriculum.Readers are introduced to “science in the making” through discussion and analysis of a wide range of historical episodes from the early 19th century to early 21st century. Recent cutting-edge research is presented to provide insight into the dynamics of scientific progress. More than 90 studies from major science education journals related to nature of science are reviewed.  A theoretical framework field tested with in-service science teachers is developed for moving from ‘science in the making’ to understanding  the Nature of Science.