(History of science in the classroom: A teaching sequence about the concept of inertia)

Abstract

The proposal of the use of history and philosophy of science in education is a striking feature in research in physics teaching. However, a considerable amount of studies in this area deals with this issue from a theoretical perspective. There is a lack of evaluation of teaching strategies that make use of history and philosophy contents in physics teaching. This study reports the application of a teaching sequence aimed at discussing the concept of inertia from a historical perspective. Thirty-five Physics and Geophysics undergraduate students answered questionnaires before and after the teaching sequence. Data analyses show an increase in the number of correct answers, supporting the idea that it is possible to learn physics concepts with a historical-philosophical approach.

Keywords:
physics teaching; history of science; inertia