For decades, science educators have been encouraged to "stick to the science" and leave politics at the classroom door. But as disinformation spreads online and public trust in science seems to erode in some contexts, this advice is no longer realistic.
In Canada and elsewhere, science teachers face a challenge. Science is being questioned in varied ways, from social media videos to (sometimes convincing) messages in a larger cultural landscape of conspiratorial rhetoric emphasizing "what they don't want you to know."
From climate change denial to debates about vaccines, the classroom has become a front line in broader cultural battles amplified by individuals or groups via social media.
In this context, history may be one of the most powerful tools science teachers have to navigate sensitive issues, as research (including my own) has demonstrated.
