The Development of Dalton’s Atomic Theory as a Case Study in the History of Science: Reflections for Educators in Chemistry

Abstract

The inclusion of the history of science in science curricula-and specially, in the curricula of science teachers-is a trend that has been followed in several countries. The reasons advanced for the study of the history of science are manifold. This paper presents a case study in the history of chemistry, on the early developments of John Dalton's atomic theory. Based on the case study, several questions that are worth discussing in educational contexts are pointed out. It is argued that the kind of history of science that was made in the first decades of the twentieth century (encyclopaedic, continuist, essentially anachronistic) is not appropriate for the development of the competences that are expected from the students of sciences in the present. Science teaching for current days will benefit from the approach that may be termed the ''new historiography of science''.

Helping Pre-Service Science Teachers to Understand Atomism Through Observations and Experiments

“…Thus, important observations and experiments revolving around the concept of the atom over the course of history formed the basic framework of the teaching modules. In the literature, the concept of the atom is most prominently treated through the Modern Theories of the Atom of Dalton, Thomson, Rutherford and Bohr, respectively (Harrison and Treagust, 2000;Niaz, 1998;Niaz, Aguilera, Maza and Liendo, 2002;Peleg andBaram-ISSN 1648-3898 Tsabari, 2011;Petri and Niedderer, 1998;Rodriguez and Niaz, 2004;Tsaparlis, 1997;Wheeldon, 2011;Viana and Porto, 2009). By emphasizing the historical process in teaching about the atom, the importance of learning about the atom has been stressed (Ben-Zvi, Eylon and Silberstein, 1986;Blanco and Niaz, 1998;Niaz, Aguilera, Maza and Liendo, 2002;Nussbaum, 2005).…”

The periodic law of the chemical elements: ‘ The new system of atomic weights which renders evident the analogies which exist between bodies ' []

“…Dalton, still widely regarded as ‘the immortal author', recognized chemical combinations as being formed by the union or addition of elementary atoms, the relative weights of which he endeavoured to determine, referring those weights to one of the elements—hydrogen—as unity. Dalton revived and advanced the hypothesis of atoms to explain the fact that in chemical combinations, elements unite in fixed proportions, and in certain cases in multiple proportions [9].…”

Pengembangan Buku Ajar Kimia Berbasis Keimanan untuk MA dan SMA-IT

“…Karena merupakan prototipe, maka isi buku ajar ini diambil hanya satu bab yaitu bab teori atom, namun pada buku ajar ini dibagi menjadi empat bab sehingga bentuknya seperti buku. Pemilihan materi pada teori atom karena teori atom adalah bagian penting dari pendidikan kimia dan menjadi objek perhatian bagi pendidik kimia [11]. Pembagian bab pada buku yaitu, bab I "Perjalanan Mengungkap Atom", bab II "Ilmuwan Kimia Muslim", bab III "Atom Modern", dan bab IV "Teori Atom Mekanika Kuantum".…”