Letters to the editor: a scientific and social approach for science teaching

Abstract

In this article, we have demonstrated the importance of «Letters to the Editor» in the building up of scientific knowledge and its application to Science teaching. The state of the Letters to the Editor section has been analyzed in the sphere of journals published in Spain comprising the following topics: the dissemination of science and technology, the dissemination of culture, and research. We propose some classroom work strategies based on the use of «Letters to the Editor», which are directed towards encouraging students to develop appropriate ideas on the real construction of science and scientific knowledge. Finally, we have revealed the scant presence of a «Letters to the Editor» section in a considerable percentage of the journals consulted.