Developing a Learning Progression for Energy in Environmental Systems

1. Quantitative Uncertainty of Changes: • Recognize the uncertainty of the issue of global warming and take it into account when analyzing information from media. Level 7 Qualitative Model-based Reasoning - Adding the quantitative dimension to the loop diagram: • Use bond-energy (∆H) to identify exothermic/endothermic reactions and calculate the amount of energy released or absorbed; • Understand quantitative data about energy consumption, carbon emission & sequestration, and the relationships among them. Level 6 Qualitative Model-based Reasoning - Transformation & Degradation as Constraints on Processes: Human Actions: Human energy consumption causing climate change over time • Change Over Time: Foods and fuels as energy sources; Energy consumption causing climate change over time; • Energy in Systems: Use energy concept to understand materials and organisms in systems; • Energy in Processes: Use fundamental principles of energy – the first and second laws of thermodynamics – to constrain processes and changes across scales. Environmental Systems Human Social and Economic Systems • Energy in human social and economic systems: • Energy distribution systems • Transportation; Appliances & machines Energy in physical systems: Air CO2, O2, H2O O=C=O and O-H-O as low-energy bonds CO2 emission Atmosphere (Physical Systems) Upper Anchor Energy in processes: energy dissipating in combustion & cellular respiration Energy in processes: energy dissipating in cellular respiration Energy in processes: harnessing energy in photosynthesis Energy in biological systems: Food Chain & Ecosystems Foods, Fuels, and Organisms Carbon-containing organic compounds: carbohydrates, lipids, hydrocarbon C-C & C-H as high-energy bonds Biosphere (Biological Systems) Energy in processes: energy passing on in digestion Foods & Fossil Fuels Environmental System Service: Foods and fuels as energy sources Loop Diagram for Energy in Environmental Systems Level 5 School Science Narratives - Conservation as Constraint on Processes: • Be familiar with school science narratives and use energy conservation and matter conservation to constrain processes; • Cannot successfully explain events that require tracing matter and energy separately or tracing energy with degradation. Intermediate Levels Level 4 Energy as Cause or Condition of Processes: • Hold some ideas about energy sources and forms of energy; • See energy as cause or condition to make things happen, so do not understand energy as constraint on processes. Level 3 Triggering Events as Causes & Needs of Organisms: • Understand energy as a common language term not connected with scientific usage; • Distinguish possible events from impossible events, but see events as being caused by other triggering events; • Are aware of “needs” of organisms, but do not distinguish energy from general needs such as warmth, space, love, etc. Lower Anchor Level 2 Human Intention as Cause of Events: • Classify materials in terms of how they are used for humans; • Use human intentions, feelings, and perceptions to account for events. Level 1 Developing a Learning Progression for Energy in Environmental Systems Hui Jin and Charles W. Anderson, Michigan State University Results Background • The issue of energy consumption and global warming is now at the forefront of scientists’ concerns, especially as humans are more actively engaged in harvesting energy through burning fossil fuels. However, public awareness of this issue is still very low. According to NEETF’s ten-year report (Coyle, 2005), only 12% of Americans can pass a basic quiz on awareness of energy topics and Americans’ knowledge of energy issues lags far behind their knowledge of other environmental issues. To target this problem at K-12 level, we seek to develop a learning progression for energy, which describes patterns of students’ informal reasoning on the one side and sets desirable as well as achievable expectations for students on the other. The learning progression has three parts: upper anchor, intermediate levels, and lower anchor. • Upper Anchor is defined by the society’s expectation for environmental literate citizens. Inspired by ideas from environmental science research, we develop a loop diagram for energy, which can serve as a conceptual tool for students to analyze environmental issues. • Intermediate Levels describe students’ reasoning resulted from the intersection of their intuitions and current school science. • Lower Anchor is about students’ naive causal reasoning and their informal ideas about energy when they enter school. The lower anchor and intermediate levels were developed based on assessment data. Methods and Data • Participants: • We administrated paper-and-pencil assessments to 360 students from upper elementary (3rd & 4th Grade), middle and high school grade levels, and 20 middle and high school science teachers who attended a summer learning institute. • Procedure: • We designed assessment questions about four topics: Foods and fuels; Energy sources for plants/animals; Energy transformation and degradation in biochemical processes; Energy pyramid. Here we present some examples of students’ responses on two items. • Data: • Patterns: Level 3: View energy as condition/cause to make things happen ⇒ Level 4: Use matter-energy conversion to constrain processes ⇒ Level 5: Use matter transformation and energy transformation to constrain processes separately • Energy source for plants: • Which of the following are sources of energy for plants? Circle yes or no for each of the following: • Water: Yes/No Light: Yes/No Air: Yes/No Nutrients in soil: Yes/No • They make their own energy Yes/No • Please explain your answers. • Level 5 Response: Light. Plants get energy from the sun. They get nutrients and essential elements from the air, water and nutrients on the soil. Plants do not make their own energy because energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Plants get the ability to turn the nutrients and essential elements into useful components from the sun. • Level 4 Response: Water, light, air, nutrients in soil. Plants convert sunlight energy, water, and CO2 into glucose which they use for energy. • Level 3 Response: Water, light, nutrients in soil. I think water and sunlight both help a plant make energy. • Energy transformation in cellular respiration: • You eat a grape high in glucose content. How could a glucose molecule from the grape provide energy to move your little finger? Describe as many intermediate stages and processes as you can. • Level 5 Response: As the bonds of the glucose molecules are broken down energy is released. It is this energy that fuels the movement of my little finger. The grape is consumed and broken down in the stomach into smaller parts where these sugars are absorbed by the intensities and transported via capillaries to all areas of the body - as the glucose broken down energy is released. • Level 4 Response: Once you eat the grape, you use cellular respiration to break down the glucose into energy that cells can take in to give energy to the rest of your body. • Level 3 Response: It’s energy and it helps our body function. Please visit our website: http://edr1.educ.msu.edu/EnvironmentalLit/index.htm