Inquiry teaching of a case described in the different editions of the "Origin of Species"

• In Event: Natural Philosophy, Evolution, and Science Education

English Abstract

When publishing his evolutionary theory, Darwin was also concerned with exposing cases that were especially difficult to explain, such as the origin of the electrical organs of fish. By what stages were they produced? And how does the same specific organ appear in several fish, among which some are not very similar to each other? By examining the successive editions of his book "Origin of Species," together with some letters exchanged with contemporaries, we could outline the consecutive stages of Darwin's observations and arguments on the subject. In the process, we could identify epistemic and methodological values of Darwin's investigations as critical points of the naturalist's practices. The historical case study thus led to a theoretical foundation for the elaboration of teaching and learning sequences on natural selection for different school contexts and school cultures. The proposal also incorporates an explicit and reflective approach to aspects of the pedagogical construct called the "nature of science." In conclusion, the work exemplifies the potential use of primary sources of the history of science in science education.

Authors

• Maria Elice de Brzezinski Prestes, University of Sao Paulo

• Gerda Maisa Jensen, University of Sao Paulo