How Did We Get Here? Teaching Chemistry with a Historical Perspective

Many students have misconceptions about how chemistry knowledge is generated. These misconceptions can be addressed by highlighting how chemistry knowledge has developed over time. To effectively accomplish this, science educators must be well-versed in the history of chemistry. In this paper, we describe topics that could be covered in a continuing education course for secondary level science educators that centers on the history of chemistry. We hope to stimulate discussions across chemistry departments to encourage our colleagues to offer such courses to in-service secondary science teachers. A history of chemistry course will allow teachers to meet the learning needs of their students. When teachers can explain how chemists made discoveries, overcame obstacles, collaborated with colleagues to answer complex questions, and built upon one another’s ideas, students are presented with a realistic picture of scientific research, hence strengthening their understanding of the nature of science.