Building a Foundation for the Use of Historical Narratives Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Many educators today advocate the use of historical narratives as one of a number of possible contexts for teaching science. However, several pedagogical and epistemological issues arise when implementing narratives in the classroom. In this paper, we are interested in expanding our view of narrative, specific to integrating the history of science and science teaching, and we extend our argument beyond simple anecdotal references to recognise the benefits of the historical narrative in a variety of ways. At the same time, we address pedagogical concerns by broadening perceptions of the manner and contexts in which narratives can be developed so as to include imaginative and manipulative elements that provide interactive experiences for students that are more conducive to implementation by science teachers. Several practical examples are presented as illustrations of historical narratives with imaginative and manipulative elements that by design facilitate a more meaningful implementation in the science classroom. Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007.

published proceedings

  • Science & Education

author list (cited authors)

  • Metz, D., Klassen, S., McMillan, B., Clough, M., & Olson, J.

citation count

  • 61

complete list of authors

  • Metz, Don||Klassen, Stephen||McMillan, Barbara||Clough, Michael||Olson, Joanne

publication date

  • March 2007