Ebook: Time for Science Education: How Teaching the History and Philosophy of Pendulum Motion can Contribute to Science Literacy

The book's argument depends, as do most proposals in education, upon cer­ tain positions in the philosophy of education. I believe that education should be primarily concerned with developing understanding, with initiation into worth­ while traditions of intellectual achievement, and with developing capacities for clear, analytic and critical thought. These have been the long-accepted goals of liberal education. In a liberal education, students should come to know and appre­ ciate a variety of disciplines, know them at an appropriate depth, see the interconnectedness of the disciplines, or the modes of thought, and finally have some critical disposition toward what is being learned, to be genuinely open­ minded about intellectual things. These liberal goals are contrasted with goals such as professional training, job preparation, promotion of self-esteem, social engineering, entertainment, or countless other putative purposes of schooling that are enunciated by politicians, administrators, and educators. The book's argument might be consistent with other views of education­ especially ones about the training of specialists (sometimes called a professional view of education)-but the argument fits best with a liberal view of education. The liberal hope has always been that if education is done well, then other per­ sonal and social goods will follow. The development of informed, critical, and moral capacities is the cornerstone for personal and social achievements.

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The book demonstrates the importance of history and philosophy of science for science education. It provides a case study of the pendulum, showing the pivotal role played by the pendulum in the Scientific Revolution. It describes how the pendulum enabled the creation of accurate clocks that, among other things, enabled the long-standing problem of longitude to be solved. The book charts how the solution of the longitude problem was of enormous social, economic and cultural significance for European and consequently world history.
Further, the book shows how the discovery of the laws of pendulum motion by Galileo, Huygens and Newton hinged on the acceptance of a new methodology for science. The pendulum laws are a window through which to view the fascinating mixture of experiment, mathematics and philosophy that characterized the foundations of modern science - the Galilean-Newtonian paradigm - and distinguished it from Aristotelian, medieval and commonsense science.
The book covers: learning about the nature of science; navigation and the longitude problem; ancient and medieval timekeeping; Galileo's analysis of pendulum motion; Huygens, Hooke, Newton and the pendulum; clocks and culture; science and philosophy; the mechanical world view; teaching about time and pendulum motion; and teacher education and culture.
The book defends a liberal, or contextual, approach to the teaching of science. It shows how understanding the scientific, philosophical and cultural contexts and ramifications of the pendulum laws can allow teachers to plan more engaging lessons, and conduct informative historical- investigative experiments. Students can re-live history. Contextual understanding of the pendulum allows connections to be made with other parts of the science curriculum, and with other subject areas such as geography, literature, religion, music and mathematics. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the nature of science and its role in history.

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The book demonstrates the importance of history and philosophy of science for science education. It provides a case study of the pendulum, showing the pivotal role played by the pendulum in the Scientific Revolution. It describes how the pendulum enabled the creation of accurate clocks that, among other things, enabled the long-standing problem of longitude to be solved. The book charts how the solution of the longitude problem was of enormous social, economic and cultural significance for European and consequently world history.
Further, the book shows how the discovery of the laws of pendulum motion by Galileo, Huygens and Newton hinged on the acceptance of a new methodology for science. The pendulum laws are a window through which to view the fascinating mixture of experiment, mathematics and philosophy that characterized the foundations of modern science - the Galilean-Newtonian paradigm - and distinguished it from Aristotelian, medieval and commonsense science.
The book covers: learning about the nature of science; navigation and the longitude problem; ancient and medieval timekeeping; Galileo's analysis of pendulum motion; Huygens, Hooke, Newton and the pendulum; clocks and culture; science and philosophy; the mechanical world view; teaching about time and pendulum motion; and teacher education and culture.
The book defends a liberal, or contextual, approach to the teaching of science. It shows how understanding the scientific, philosophical and cultural contexts and ramifications of the pendulum laws can allow teachers to plan more engaging lessons, and conduct informative historical- investigative experiments. Students can re-live history. Contextual understanding of the pendulum allows connections to be made with other parts of the science curriculum, and with other subject areas such as geography, literature, religion, music and mathematics. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the nature of science and its role in history.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xxviii
Learning about the Pendulum and Improving Science Education....Pages 1-18
Navigation and the Longitude Problem....Pages 19-45
Ancient and Medieval Timekeeping....Pages 47-76
Galileo and the Pendulum Clock....Pages 77-94
Galileo’s Analysis of Pendulum Motion....Pages 95-120
Christiaan Huygens and the Pendulum Clock....Pages 121-155
Perfecting Mechanical Timekeeping and Solving the Longitude Problem....Pages 157-180
The Pendulum in Newton’s Physics....Pages 181-213
Clocks and Culture....Pages 215-235
Science and Philosophy....Pages 237-274
Teaching and Learning about Time and Pendulum Motion....Pages 275-292
Teaching and Learning about Time and Pendulum Motion....Pages 293-320
Science Education, Teacher Education, and Culture....Pages 321-351
Back Matter....Pages 353-439

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The book demonstrates the importance of history and philosophy of science for science education. It provides a case study of the pendulum, showing the pivotal role played by the pendulum in the Scientific Revolution. It describes how the pendulum enabled the creation of accurate clocks that, among other things, enabled the long-standing problem of longitude to be solved. The book charts how the solution of the longitude problem was of enormous social, economic and cultural significance for European and consequently world history.
Further, the book shows how the discovery of the laws of pendulum motion by Galileo, Huygens and Newton hinged on the acceptance of a new methodology for science. The pendulum laws are a window through which to view the fascinating mixture of experiment, mathematics and philosophy that characterized the foundations of modern science - the Galilean-Newtonian paradigm - and distinguished it from Aristotelian, medieval and commonsense science.
The book covers: learning about the nature of science; navigation and the longitude problem; ancient and medieval timekeeping; Galileo's analysis of pendulum motion; Huygens, Hooke, Newton and the pendulum; clocks and culture; science and philosophy; the mechanical world view; teaching about time and pendulum motion; and teacher education and culture.
The book defends a liberal, or contextual, approach to the teaching of science. It shows how understanding the scientific, philosophical and cultural contexts and ramifications of the pendulum laws can allow teachers to plan more engaging lessons, and conduct informative historical- investigative experiments. Students can re-live history. Contextual understanding of the pendulum allows connections to be made with other parts of the science curriculum, and with other subject areas such as geography, literature, religion, music and mathematics. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the nature of science and its role in history.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xxviii
Learning about the Pendulum and Improving Science Education....Pages 1-18
Navigation and the Longitude Problem....Pages 19-45
Ancient and Medieval Timekeeping....Pages 47-76
Galileo and the Pendulum Clock....Pages 77-94
Galileo’s Analysis of Pendulum Motion....Pages 95-120
Christiaan Huygens and the Pendulum Clock....Pages 121-155
Perfecting Mechanical Timekeeping and Solving the Longitude Problem....Pages 157-180
The Pendulum in Newton’s Physics....Pages 181-213
Clocks and Culture....Pages 215-235
Science and Philosophy....Pages 237-274
Teaching and Learning about Time and Pendulum Motion....Pages 275-292
Teaching and Learning about Time and Pendulum Motion....Pages 293-320
Science Education, Teacher Education, and Culture....Pages 321-351
Back Matter....Pages 353-439
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