Contextualizing Scientific Content Fundamental to the Teacher and Student Understanding of the Earth-Universe Relationship under the Epistemological Lens of Larry Laudan's Problem Solving

Abstract

This article presents a historical-philosophical contextualization of some fundamental scientific contents for the understanding of teachers and students of the Earth-Universe relationship. Its justifications are found in the benefits that Larry Laudan's epistemological view has provided for the teaching of science/physics, especially in the foundation of academic-scientific investigations of issues related to the teaching-learning process, at all levels of education. Based on this framework, particularly on its concepts of empirical problems, conceptual problems, and research tradition, this work provides a historical-philosophical reinterpretation of some scientific contents of astronomy, cosmology, and physics, considered essential to the understanding of teaching and student of the Earth-Universe relationship. These contents are the making of calendars, the orbital distances of the planets, the phases of the Moon, the seasons, the phenomenon of day and night, the rotational movement of the Earth, cosmological models, the translational movement of the planets, and gravity. As result, this historical-philosophical contextualization can contribute to overcoming the problems related to common sense conceptions; correction of conceptual errors found in basic education textbooks; as well as in the construction of teaching knowledge of the disciplinary content of the conceptual history of science, through a pleasurable journey through the history of science. Therefore, it is defended that only a continuous dialogue with the research results, integrated with an attentive epistemological, educational, didactic, and pedagogical vigilance about the teaching-learning process; with the mediation of the construction of disciplinary knowledge, among others; and an appropriate didactic transposition of scientific contents to basic education textbooks; makes possible effective work towards a substantial improvement in education and the progress of science teaching.