For decades, science educators have been encouraged to “stick to the science” and leave politics at the classroom door. But as disinformation spreads online and public trust in science seems to erode in some contexts, this advice is no longer realistic.

In Canada and elsewhere, science teachers face a challenge. Science is being questioned in varied ways, from social media videos to (sometimes convincing) messages in a larger cultural landscape of conspiratorial rhetoric emphasizing “what they don’t want you to know.”

From climate change denial to debates about vaccines, the classroom has become a front line in broader cultural battles amplified by individuals or groups via social media.

In this context, history may be one of the most powerful tools science teachers have to navigate sensitive issues, as research (including my own) has demonstrated.

My collaborative research project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, is examining the question: “How do teachers teach science through history when the histories spark potentially heated sociopolitical debates?”

Why history matters in science education

For decades, research has shown students better understand how science works “behind the curtains” — what has been called “nature of science” — when they learn how discoveries were made, challenged and revised over time. Teaching students about the history of science has been a way to showcase the mechanisms of how knowledge is produced.

Some examples are understanding the role of evidence in proposing a theory or model or scientists’ arguments, disagreements and uncertainty when interpreting phenomena.

However, much of this past work on teaching the history of science in science education has fallen short. More can be done to address the social and political struggles that shaped science itself.

Science is intertwined with power

Today, educators acknowledge that history in........

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