The role of scientific museums in Physics Education Courses for pre-service Primary School Teachers

We report on an educational project developed within the Physics education course for pre-service primary school teachers and involving the Museum of the History of Physics of Padova University and the Museum of Astronomy of Padova Astronomical Observatory. The main goals of the project were: a) to stimulate in pre-service teacher a reflection on how scientific museums could be used for proposing an effective and motivating scientific experiences within primary school curricola; b) make them to experience and recognize the advantages of an historical approach in the learning of a new subject.