Engineering Teaching Kits

1. Engineering Teaching Kits Engineering design in the science classroom Christine Schnittka University of KENTUCKY Larry G. Richards University of Virginia Susan K. Donohue The College of new jersey

2. Engineering Teaching Kits

3. Save the Penguins Physics Engineering Protecting the Environment

4. Save the Penguins ETK

5. Targeted Demonstrations The Cans The Trays The Spoons The House The Mylar

6. Alternative Conceptions about HT • Cold is a substance that moves • Heat is a substance that rises • Heat is a substance like a fluid, made of particles • Larger ice cubes are colder than small ones • Metal is cold, plastic and wood are warm • Aluminum foil traps “coldness”; metals hold “cold” • Sweaters warm things (Albert, 1978; Clough & Driver, 1985; Erickson, 1979; Erickson, 1980)

7. Videos about Penguins Penguin in a Pickle Penguin Populations Penguins are Melting

8. Penguin in a Pickle

9. Penguin Populations

10. Penguins are Melting

11. Penguins in South Africa

14. The Engineering Design Process • Identify the Need • Define the Problem • Brainstorm Ideas • Conduct Research • Develop Design Revise Design • Test Design

15. As Energy Demands Grow… • … more electricity or fuel is used. • … burned fuels create carbon dioxide. • … power plants usually burn coal- which produces carbon dioxide too • … carbon dioxide is implicated in global warming • … global warming is not our friend.

16. So, How Can We Save the Penguins?

17. Save the Penguins ETK

18. Engineering Design Process

19. Test Materials, Design, and Build! Test materials if you are not sure which ones to use. Think about conduction with the floor Think about convection (hot air entering the house) Think about radiation from ALL sides (even the bottom) Your constraints are space and time. Try to stay under a $200 budget! Extra materials are available for purchase (trade).

20. Results: Design Iterations 4.7 g remaining 6.3 g remaining 5.5 g remaining 7.0 g remaining 3.1 g remaining 5.7 g remaining 3.9 g remaining 6.0 g remaining

21. Heat Transfer Evaluation - Pilot Study

22. Heat Transfer Evaluation 1. You pick up a can of soda off of the countertop. The countertop underneath the can feels colder than the rest of the counter. Which explanation do you think is the best? a. The cold has been transferred from the soda to the counter. b. There is no heat energy left in the counter beneath the can. c. Some heat has been transferred from the counter to the soda. d. The heat beneath the can moves away into other parts of the countertop.

23. Heat Transfer Evaluation 1. You pick up a can of soda off of the countertop. The countertop underneath the can feels colder than the rest of the counter. Which explanation do you think is the best? a. The cold has been transferred from the soda to the counter. b. There is no heat energy left in the counter beneath the can. c. Some heat has been transferred from the counter to the soda. d. The heat beneath the can moves away into other parts of the countertop.

24. Heat Transfer Evaluation 2. After cooking an egg in boiling water, you cool the egg by putting it into a bowl of cold water. Which of the following explains the egg’s cooling process? a. Temperature is transferred from the egg to the water. b. Cold moves from the water into the egg. c. Energy is transferred from the water to the egg. d. Energy is transferred from the egg to the water.

25. Heat Transfer Evaluation 2. After cooking an egg in boiling water, you cool the egg by putting it into a bowl of cold water. Which of the following explains the egg’s cooling process? a. Temperature is transferred from the egg to the water. b. Cold moves from the water into the egg. c. Energy is transferred from the water to the egg. d. Energy is transferred from the egg to the water.

26. Heat Transfer Evaluation 3. Why do we wear sweaters in cold weather? a. To keep cold out. b. To generate heat. c. To reduce heat loss. d. All of the above.

27. Heat Transfer Evaluation 3. Why do we wear sweaters in cold weather? a. To keep cold out. b. To generate heat. c. To reduce heat loss. d. All of the above.

28. Heat Transfer Evaluation  4. Amy wraps her dolls in blankets but can’t understand why they don’t warm up. Why don’t they warm up? a. The blankets she uses are probably poor insulators. b. The blankets she uses are probably poor conductors. c. The dolls are made of materials which don’t hold heat well. d. None of the above.

29. Heat Transfer Evaluation  4. Amy wraps her dolls in blankets but can’t understand why they don’t warm up. Why don’t they warm up? a. The blankets she uses are probably poor insulators. b. The blankets she uses are probably poor conductors. c. The dolls are made of materials which don’t hold heat well. d. None of the above.

30. Heat Transfer Evaluation 5. As water in a freezer turns into ice, a. the water absorbs energy from the air in the freezer. b. the water absorbs the coldness from the air in the freezer. c. the freezer air absorbs heat from the water. d. the water neither absorbs nor releases energy

31. Heat Transfer Evaluation 5. As water in a freezer turns into ice, a. the water absorbs energy from the air in the freezer. b. the water absorbs the coldness from the air in the freezer. c. the freezer air absorbs heat from the water. d. the water neither absorbs nor releases energy

32. Heat Transfer Evaluation 6. On a warm sunny day, you will feel cooler wearing light colored clothes because they a. reflect more radiation. b. prevent sweating. c. are not as heavy as dark clothes. d. let more air in.

33. Heat Transfer Evaluation 6. On a warm sunny day, you will feel cooler wearing light colored clothes because they a. reflect more radiation. b. prevent sweating. c. are not as heavy as dark clothes. d. let more air in.

34. Heat Transfer Evaluation  7. If you put a metal spoon and a wooden spoon into a pot of boiling water, one will become too hot to touch. Why? a. Metals conduct heat better than wood. b. Wood conducts heat better than metals. c. Metals pull in heat because heat is attracted to metals. d. Wood isn’t as strong as metals.

35. Heat Transfer Evaluation  7. If you put a metal spoon and a wooden spoon into a pot of boiling water, one will become too hot to touch. Why? a. Metals conduct heat better than wood. b. Wood conducts heat better than metals. c. Metals pull in heat because heat is attracted to metals. d. Wood isn’t as strong as metals.

36. Heat Transfer Evaluation 8. On a hot day, the upstairs rooms in a house are usually hotter than the downstairs rooms. Why? a. Cool air is less dense than hot air. b. Warm air rises and cool air sinks. c. The upstairs rooms are closer to the sun. d. Heat rises.

37. Heat Transfer Evaluation 8. On a hot day, the upstairs rooms in a house are usually hotter than the downstairs rooms. Why? a. Cool air is less dense than hot air. b. Warm air rises and cool air sinks. c. The upstairs rooms are closer to the sun. d. Heat rises.

38. Heat Transfer Evaluation 9. You have a can of soda in your lunchbox that you want to keep cold. Which material will work best to keep it cold? a. Aluminum foil wrapped around the soda because metals transfer heat energy easily. b. A paper towel wrapped around the soda because paper soaks up the moisture. c. Wax paper wrapped around the soda because wax paper traps the moisture. d. Your wool sweater wrapped around the soda because wool traps air.

39. Heat Transfer Evaluation 9. You have a can of soda in your lunchbox that you want to keep cold. Which material will work best to keep it cold? a. Aluminum foil wrapped around the soda because metals transfer heat energy easily. b. A paper towel wrapped around the soda because paper soaks up the moisture. c. Wax paper wrapped around the soda because wax paper traps the moisture. d. Your wool sweater wrapped around the soda because wool traps air.

40. Heat Transfer Evaluation 10. When you hold a metal coat hanger in a camp fire to roast a marshmallow, the coat hanger might get too hot to hold. Why might the coat hanger get too hot? a. The heat radiates along the coat hanger. b. The heat builds up near the flame until it can’t hold it anymore and then moves along the coat hanger. c. Metal atoms vibrate with more energy when they get hot, and they collide with atoms near them, which makes the neighboring atoms vibrate too. d. Since metals melt in fire, they react very strongly to fire and get hot easily. 

41. Heat Transfer Evaluation 10. When you hold a metal coat hanger in a camp fire to roast a marshmallow, the coat hanger might get too hot to hold. Why might the coat hanger get too hot? a. The heat radiates along the coat hanger. b. The heat builds up near the flame until it can’t hold it anymore and then moves along the coat hanger. c. Metal atoms vibrate with more energy when they get hot, and they collide with atoms near them, which makes the neighboring atoms vibrate too. d. Since metals melt in fire, they react very strongly to fire and get hot easily. 

42. Heat Transfer Evaluation 11. An aluminum plate and a plastic plate have been in the freezer all night long. When you remove them the next morning, a. The plates have the same temperature. b. The plastic plate has a higher temperature. c. The plastic plate has a lower temperature. d. The aluminum plate has a lower temperature.

43. Heat Transfer Evaluation 11. An aluminum plate and a plastic plate have been in the freezer all night long. When you remove them the next morning, a. The plates have the same temperature. b. The plastic plate has a higher temperature. c. The plastic plate has a lower temperature. d. The aluminum plate has a lower temperature.

44. Heat Transfer Evaluation 12. When placed in direct sunlight, which object will absorb the most radiation? a. a white sweater b. a snowball c. some aluminum foil d. a black sweater  

45. Heat Transfer Evaluation 12. When placed in direct sunlight, which object will absorb the most radiation? a. a white sweater b. a snowball c. some aluminum foil d. a black sweater  

46. Methods ETK+D Save the Penguins with five targeted demos n=23( 12M, 11F) n=11 pre-interviews HTE and ATES pretest/posttest n=10 exit interviews • ETK • Save the Penguins without five targeted demos • n=21 (9M, 12F) • n=8 pre- interviews • HTE and ATES pretest/posttest • n=10 exit interviews • Control • Typical instruction: labs, lectures, demos • n=27 (17M, 10F) • n=10 pre-interviews • HTE and ATES pretest/posttest • n=10 exit interviews Equivalent scores on pretests, and 7th grade math and reading VA SOLs

47. Results: Heat Transfer- pre Pretest scores on Heat Transfer Evaluation ETK: M=4.33 Control: M=4.63 ETK+D: M=4.09 F(2,68) = .601 p = .551 ETK CONTROL ETK+D

48. Results: Heat Transfer- pre Cold transfers Metals trap cold Metals are colder than plastics Light colors reflect radiation/ dark colors absorb Metals are conductors Heat rises Hot air rises Insulators generate heat Sweaters reduce heat loss

49. Results: Heat Transfer- after ETK: M=6.43 Control: M=7.19 ETK+D: M=8.22

50. Results: Heat Transfer- after Pre-Posttest Gains on Heat Transfer Evaluation Repeated measures ANOVA F(2,68) = 6.659 p = .002 ANCOVA F(2,67) = 6.549 p = .003