Teaching chemistry: a historical and philosophical approach

Authors

  • Mercè Izquierdo Aymerich Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Keywords:

Foundation in history, meaning of words, theoretical practice.

Abstract

Chemistry looks for answers to the questions posed by chemical changes in the internal constitution of matter, but it does not do so like a surgeon with his scalpel: digging into the materials you will not find anything. It is philosophy that will open your eyes; it is the practice that is establishing the glasses shared by the scientific communities. And language will create the entities that scientists see with these philosophical eyes and with these practical glasses. This article proposes to start teaching chemistry from close chemical changes for students. The history and philosophy of chemistry help us to recover the meaning of the theoretical answers.

Author Biography

Mercè Izquierdo Aymerich, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

És doctora en química, catedràtica de didàctica de les ciències a la UAB. Ha estat professora de química
a secundària i de didàctica de les ciències, de química i d’història de la química a la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). La seva investigació es dedica al
llenguatge i la història de la química. Forma part del grup investigació LIEC (Llenguatge i Ensenyament
de les Ciències) del qual va ser la primera directora. Ha format part del CEHIC (Centre d’Estudis
d’Història de les Ciències). Ha estat presidenta del col·legi professional de professors, responsable
de formació de professorat al Departament d’Ensenyament (Generalitat de Catalunya) i
vicerectora a la UAB.

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Issue

No. 29 (2021)

Section

Monografia: Filosofia de la química

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