Constructing Scientific Understanding Through Contextual Teaching

Book excerpt: Learning by Doing" is about the history of experimentation in science education. The teaching of science through experiments and observation is essential to the natural sciences and its pedagogy. These have been conducted as both demonstration or as student exercises. The experimental method is seen as giving the student vital competence, skills and experiences, both at the school and at the university level. This volume addresses the historical development of experiments in science education, which has been largely neglected so far. The contributors of "Learning by Doing" pay attention to various aspects ranging from economic aspects of instrument making for science teaching, to the political meanings of experimental science education from the 17th to the 20th century. This collected volume opens the field for further debate by emphasizing the importance of experiments for both, historians of science and science educators. [Présentation de l'éditeur].