PERC 2018 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Biology teachers' engagement with a physics model of energy flow |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | In Energy Theater, people represent units of energy and locations on the floor represent objects in the system. Movement of people therefore represents the flow of energy. Biology teachers participating in a professional development activity used Energy Theater to model energy flow first in a physics setting and then in a biological ecosystem. Afterwards, they discussed the ways in which Energy Theater led to the modeling of ideas that are not usually discussed in biology classrooms. For example, issues of energy conservation and thermal dissipation were typically not of importance to them, but required within the modeling activity. Our work shows differences in how physicists and biologists teach and discuss the NGSS crosscutting concept of energy flow. Our work also points out that there are productive and attainable ways for teachers to talk across disciplines in ways that helps students learn the crosscutting concepts of energy flow more effectively. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Session Time: | Poster Session II |
| Poster Number: | B94 |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Michael C. Wittmann University of Maine 5709 Bennett Hall University of Maine Orono, ME 04469-5709 Phone: 2075811237 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Troy Whitaker, University of Maine |
