HIPST · History and Philosophy in Science Teaching

In order to develop a better integration of science in society and society in science the promotion of young people’s interest in science, to encourage their critical and creative ways of thinking and to improve science education, and the uptake of scientific careers in general is of vital importance. Sustained learning of science implies many different dimensions. One often ignored, but important dimension is the way how scientific knowledge is gener-ated. Moreover the objectives and motivations to do science, scientific methods, the em-pirical fundament, social and cultural aspects are as important as philosophical founda-tions of science, scientific concepts and their use. The acquisition of knowledge about the nature of science is essential for democratic societies which partly rest their decision-making on rational and scientific criteria. The HIPST project works with 10 partners from 8 countries covering R&D, policy and implementation aspects of the acknowledgement. HIPST aims at the raising of understanding the relationship between science, technology, and society, and to foster science education and public understanding of science on a European level. The project approach has three specific objectives: To increase the inclusion of history and philosophy of science in science teaching for the benefit of scientific literacy. To improve strategies for development and implementation of domain-relevant materials and teaching techniques into educational practice. To strengthen the cooperation and establish a permanent infrastructure of sustainable network-ing of all involved stakeholders in the field of scientific literacy and public understanding of science (school science teachers, museum experts, researchers). HIPST establishes a sustainable network between the project partners for the development and exchange of know-how and experiences in the inclusion of historical and philosophical components in science teaching programmes.