The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) held, on December 16-18, 2024, a training course, in hybrid format, on “Improving the Teaching of History of Science in Arab Educational Systems”, with the participation of relevant experts from Arab countries.
The workshop was designed to strengthen capacities in integrating History of Science into school curricula and teacher-training programs, with the aim of renewing science teaching methods, and thus contributing to enhancing critical thinking and scientific awareness among students. It also sought to create innovative educational scenarios that would enable students to understand the paths followed by scholars and the challenges they faced, and encourage them to develop their observation, experimentation, and inquiry skills.
The training focused on several key areas, including enhancing students' understanding of scientific concepts by placing them within their historical and philosophical contexts. It also aimed at formulating effective principles for integrating History of Science into school curricula and teaching practices, as well as building training models that enable teachers to present scientific concepts as solutions to the challenges at hand.
The course featured theoretical and practical sessions, along with two workshops : The first involved drafting a policy paper on the importance of integrating History of Science into education, and proposing effective ways to develop school curricula and educational practices; and the second laid the initial foundations for an Arab Working Group dedicated to sharing experience and expertise and enhancing the status of History of Science in Arab educational systems.
The implementation of this training course is part of ALECSO’s contribution to the realization of the “Education 2030 Agenda” in Arab countries. Integrating History of Science into school curricula is key to developing Arab educational systems, so that they can produce graduates equipped with the research and critical thinking skills necessary to keep pace with present-day and future developments.
