The paper provides an overview of the studies on teaching/learning special relativity carried out in physics education research. The purpose of the overview is to (i) show the main research strands or dimensions (namely, conceptual change, curriculum design and teacher education) on which the problem of improving teaching/learning of special relativity has been projected in order to be studied, (ii) present, within each strand, the results that can be considered stable and/or reflective of our most current understanding, along with the (...) issues that remain unresolved and (iii) highlight the roles ascribed to history and philosophy of physics in the specific research domain which concerns teaching/learning special relativity. (shrink)

This chapter reviews the attempts to include the history and philosophy of science (HPS) in the teaching of light and vision and the lessons learned from these attempts. This kind of curricular innovation requires special effort and draws on extensive research in learning theory and cognitive psychology and culturology, all applied to a science curriculum on light.