HPS and school science education: remediation or reconstruction?

Concern to incorporate historical and philosophical insights within school science curricula is an international phenomenon. Whatever the intrinsic merits of these insights, it is suggested that any willingness on the part of science educators to enter into a rapprochement with scholars in the history, philosophy and sociology (HPS) of science stems mainly from the perceived shortcomings of contemporary school science curricula. Some of the difficulties of incorporating HPS within school science are reviewed and it is argued that, together with broader questions about the role of science in society, historical, philosophical and sociological insights point towards a radical reappraisal of school science education. The article suggests three ways in which such education might respond to some recent work in the history, philosophy and sociology of science.