The use of reconstructed historical experiments has been developed and used at the physics department of the Carl-von-Ossietzky Universitaet Oldenburg for some 25 years. Central to this approach with respect to the history of science is the replication method which includes the reconstruction of the apparatus and the redoing of the experiments of former researchers. However, the program was not limited to history of science, but a central aspect was the use of the reconstructed instruments in educational situations. In doing so, a lab course had been established that addressed future physics teachers. Likewise, one day seminars on using historical physics apparatus for teachers on the job had been established.

In the first part of my presentation, I will briefly discuss the ideas that formed the basis of the experimental approach. In this respect, I am going to focus on the conceptual background of the educational program and illustrate this analysis with several examples. For this purpose, I am going to make a comparison between the experiences we made in enabling students to work with reconstructed historical experiments as well as with modern versions of these experiments. The analysis makes evident that (well chosen) examples of historical apparatuses can enable students not only to develop an adequate understanding of the scientific content of the experiment, but also to address issues from the nature of science. However, we also had to understand that not every historical experiment is acceptable for the students – consequently, some experiments had to be abandoned from the course.

In the final part of my presentation, I will sketch some ideas that we discuss at the moment in the group at the Universitaet Flensburg. Here, a specific focus is developed as the science center Phänomenta (http://www.phaenomenta.com/flensburg/) is closely related to the institute and thus creates a new field of (informal) education where the approach can be applied.
Air Precision 2017