Multi-Faceted Approaches to Energy Education

1. Multi-Faceted Approaches to Energy Education Billy Bennett Scott Townsend Melinda Wilder Eastern Kentucky University

2. Background • Energy as a reemergence of national concern (USDOE, 2011) • Very little recent research on effective energy programs for teachers • Poses a challenge for science and environmental teacher educators • Most available information dates back to 1970-1980s (Bitner-Corvin, 1983; Dunlop & Fazio, 1981; Liarakou, Gavrilakis, & Flouri, 2009) • Urgent need for new programs and updated research in energy education regarding both awareness and action.

3. Project Goals • Provide opportunities for all preservice teachers and many inservice teachers attending EKU t0 learn about effective energy education through a variety of venues. • Develop modules and course shells to share with teacher educators within state. Funding provided by Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence

4. Six Components • Teaching modules for science methods courses • Teaching module for environmental education endorsement course • Integrate energy topics into a service learning venue • Three credit hour energy content course • Dissemination of useable products • KY NEED energy education training workshops

5. Discussion Questions • Are the components transferrable to your teaching situation? • What questions do you have about specific components? • What are your suggestions for improvement? • What is the best avenue for sharing the products? • What are some other energy education resources that could be used in these courses?

6. Science Methods Classes • Elementary, Middle and Secondary • Integrated throughout by using examples when teaching specific teaching strategies. • Assessment pre/post energy awareness • Energy content pre/post survey for elementary • Energy content post survey for middle and secondary.

7. Science Methods Courses

8. Evaluation

9. CNM 800, Environmental IssuesEnergy Modules • Course Description • Students will learn to investigate and evaluate environmental issues as well as plan appropriate action based on their analysis. • Format • Hybrid: Meet on campus every other week. • Energy Modules • Energy • Alternative Fuels • Coal

10. Format • For each module • First class period • Activities focusing on the topic • Content reading • Second class period (electronically) • Jigsaw assignment focusing on evaluating the issue from a variety of viewpoints

11. Intro to Energy Module • Class Activity • NEED Science of Energy • Content Focus • Forms of Energy • Energy Transformation • Law of Conservation of Energy

12. Alternative Fuels • Class Activity • Video clips • There Is No Energy Crisis, There is a Crisis of Ignorance • The Great Squeeze, Surviving the Human Project • Rank Order Activity • Emergency 25 Point Plan of Action, Confronting Collapse: The Crisis of Energy and Money in a Post Peak Oil World, Michael Ruppert • Content • Renewable, Non-renewable, Economic Value, Coal, Oil, Hydroelectric, Nuclear, Wind, Biofuel, Carbon, Lignite, Clean, Visual Impact, Biodiversity loss

13. Coal • Class Activity • Coal in US, mapping activity • Conserving Electric Energy, American Coal Foundation • Video • Coal in Kentucky • Content • What is coal and how is it formed? • How is coal classified? • What are the different methods of mining coal in Kentucky? • What are the primary uses of coal in Kentucky, in the US? • What are the primary environmental concerns connected with the use of coal?

14. Evaluation • Pre/Post Energy Awareness Survey

15. Evaluation

16. EMG 707 Service Learning as Pedagogy Course Description: The course is designed to use the Earth Force model of service learning. Classroom strategies and techniques will be modeled and a class environmental service project will be planned and carried out. Format: All on campus

17. Grant funding from 2 different sources

18. Earth Force Service Learning Project Spring 2011 • EKU’s Maywoods Environmental and Education Laboratory became the community focus for our project to improve existing policies and practices regarding energy efficiency. • Project goal: Focus on best practices for energy efficiency and promote environmental awareness in the community.

19. Committees • New energy education activity kit • Energy audit and pricing • Publicity • Updated environmental practices manual

20. Audit and Pricing • Schedule and analyze energy audit and make recommendations for Maywoods Lodge • Criteria • Items recommended will have a high return on investment (ROI) • Items will also have a short payback time. • Get prices for recommended changes

21. Conducting an Energy Audit

22. Recommendations • Replace all incandescent light bulbs with CFL bulbs. • Replace dishwasher with a energy star appliance. • Install weather stripping and caulk around doors and windows. • Purchase recycling containers.

23. Connecting Schools, Communities and Service Learning : Student reflections Enhancement of criteria based decision making to solve real life environmental problems using all core subject areas Reflective writing to refine activity processes and project goals Implementation of democratic principles for project selection Mathematical problem solving and budgeting

24. Evaluation results

25. Final Reflection Essays • 83 % of students reported making energy conservation efforts in their personal lives and that they had influenced family members, students and coworkers, by modeling best practices for conserving energy • 83% reported that they thought the “process” was valuable as a learning /teaching tool • 100% of students reported that the course will help them professionally

26. Selected Energy Related Assignments

27. Spring 2012 Project • Community: Madison County Humane Society • Energy Issue: Lack of energy conservation measures • Project: Appliances, windows, informational signs. • Timeline: April 18th event, April 25th presentation May 2nd Celebration!

28. EMG 807: Energy as a Unifying Concept in Science Teaching • Course Description • Format • Hybrid (50% online & 50% onsite) • Online (Annenberg Media – www.learner.org) to supplement onsite class activities • Schedule • Energy content • Evaluation • Pre/Post Energy Concept Inventory (ECI) • Weekly Assignments (readings, reflections, quizzes) • Pre/Post Energy Awareness Survey

29. Six-Week Course Sequence Week 1: • What is Energy? • Force and Work Week 2: • Transfer and Conversion of Energy • Energy in Cycles Week 3: • Energy in Food • Energy Flow in Ecological Communities Week 4: • Energy and Systems • Heat, Work, and Efficiency Week 5: • Energy and Socio-scientific Issues Week 6: • NEED Project Professional Development (6 hours)

30. ECI Test Overall Scores

31. Individual Item Score

32. Question #33 d. It will increase it (Pre 1/13 & Post 10/13) Anita (7/30 to 25/30) Pre: “It will have no effect because the heat in the room will transfer into the refrigerator.” Post: “The temperature of the room will increase because it is in a closed system. The energy comes to the refrigerator through the electric cord and the heat energy from the motor has nowhere to go but into the room so the room will warm up.”

33. Question #17 • You put fresh batteries into a flashlight. Then you turn it on and leave it on until the bulb gradually dims and finally goes out. Which statement best describes the involvement of energy in this process? • The energy has been used up by the bulb and no longer exists anywhere. • All the energy that the batteries originally had when new still exists somewhere or other. • The energy of the batteries was converted to heat by the bulb, so it no longer exists. • The amount of energy in the flashlight, batteries, and bulb remain the same, because energy is conserved. • The energy has moved from one end of the batteries to the other. b. Still exists somewhere or other (Pre 4/13 & Post 11/13) Steve (10/30 to 27/30) Pre: “A. Battery life is always finite.” Post: “B. All the energy that entered the system left the system. It entered in the form of chemical potential energy (the battery) and left in the form of heat and light.”

34. Question #6 Question 6. Consider a system that consists of only the earth and box. A battery powered motor not considered part of the system lifts the box from the ground to a certain height above the earth’s surface. • Which statement below is most accurate after the box has been lifted? • The energy in the box has increased. • The energy in the box has decreased. • The energy in the system remains the same, because the box is not moving. • The energy in the system has decreased. • The energy in the system has increased. e. Energy increase. (Pre 2/13 & Post 13/13)

35. Sample ECI Pre/Post Response 21. (b) Pre = 5/13 Post = 13/13

36. Energy Course Results • All course participants increased their ECI scores • There was an increase on each item in the ECI • Item explanations for each pre/post test question generally improved • Course participants were more likely to discuss the idea of “systems” in their responses. • Course participants were more likely to give more in-depth responses reflecting a higher level of conceptual understanding

37. Evaluation Results

38. Conclusions • Goal 1—Infuse energy education throughout preservice and inservice curriculum • Preservice curriculum • All elementary preservice through elementary science methods • Only middle grades and secondary science preservice teachers • Inservice curriculum • Three courses which included all grades levels and a variety of content levels for elementary and middle grades teachers.

39. Conclusions • Goal 2: Impact knowledge and attitudes • Knowledge • Energy Concept Inventory—positive gain • Other content assignments—positive results • Energy Awareness • Science Methods Courses—mixed results • Service Learning as Pedagogy—positive gain • Environmental Issues—slight positive gain • Energy Content Course—slight positive gain

40. Conclusions • Goal 3: Abilities to implement effective energy education into K-12 classrooms • Service Learning as Pedagogy • Service Learning Action—high scores • Environmental Issues • Energy Lesson Plan—mixed scores

41. Resources • All course resources available http://www.naturalareas.eku.edu/uenergyed.php • Contacts Dr. Scott Townsend, PI , scott.townsend@eku.edu Billy Bennett, william.bennett@eku.edu Dr. Melinda Wilder, melinda.wilder@eku.edu

42. Discussion Questions • Are the components transferrable to your teaching situation? • What questions do you have about specific components? • What are your suggestions for improvement? • What is the best avenue for sharing the products? • What are some other energy education resources that could be used in these courses?