Paper No. 4
Presentation Time: 1:50 PM

DEVELOPING BALANCED ENERGY CURRICULUM FOR MIDDLE LEVEL STUDENTS


HOUSEAL, Ana K.1, GREENBERG, Sallie E.2, RAMSEY WALTERS, Sarah3, BROWN, Heath4 and REINERTSEN, John1, (1)Science and Mathematics Teaching Center, University of Wyoming, 1000 University Ave, Laramie, WY 82071, (2)Illinois State Geol Survey, 615 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, (3)School of Energy Resources, University of Wyoming, Energy Innovation Center 376, Laramie, WY 82071, (4)Laramie Junior High School, 1355 N. 22nd Street, Laramie, WY 82072, ahouseal@uwyo.edu

An increased need for energy-based educational materials is emerging in order to meet Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and address a societal need for greater scientific understanding of energy and environmental issues. Energy issues are complex and most students and teachers bring many misconceptions to the classroom. Presenting energy in a balanced, scientific framework that makes connections between where energy comes from, how we use energy, and the impacts of energy use can help address pre-existing misconceptions.

The Sequestration Training and Education Program (STEP), a technology transfer center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy – National Energy Technology Laboratory housed at the Illinois State Geological Survey – University of Illinois, contracted a team at the University of Wyoming (UW) to develop a balanced energy education curriculum for middle level learners. The STEP energy curriculum was developed to address misconceptions about the subsurface, engage students in experiences that built new knowledge, and provide a balanced perspective through structured reflection. While the NGSS were not released until April 2013, A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2011) was used to shape unit development and the NGSS will be tied to the final product. The UW researchers both piloted the curriculum in several 9th grade classrooms during 2012-2013 school year and implemented an accompanying professional development (PD) workshop for in-service teachers in July 2013. Results from these pilot studies will be presented. Additionally, this session will highlight the development of the curriculum, PD framework, lessons learned, and future directions.