Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating an Energy Education Unit for Sixth Grade Science at New London Middle School
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Date
2004-08Author
Hermes, Sheila
Publisher
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources
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Show full item recordAbstract
Energy is an important part of all of our lives. We use energy everyday to run our
automobiles, light our homes, and grow our food. Energy is necessary for how we live
our lives however; we currently face an energy crisis. We now face problems of rolling
blackouts and are predicted to run out of petroleum around the year 2080 (Martinez,
2002). Not only do we face energy shortages; we also are suffering the consequences of
pollution from burning our nonrenewable energy resources. Acid rain, global warming,
and mercury pollution are only just a few of the pollution problems. The pollution from
burning fossil fuels has damaged the environment and caused health problems in people
(Leon, 1992). A change is needed. A change in what we use to produce electricity and
what we use to run our automobiles is needed for a sustainable future. And the first step
toward a sustainable future is education.
To educate the next generations about energy needs of the future, we must begin
now. According to Hanson (1993), " ... students who participate in one of more Energy
Source units during elementary school are substantially more knowledgeable about
energy, more interested in it, and have better energy conservation habits." And this is the
goal of the project, to have students participate in an energy education unit so that they
will be more knowledgeable about energy, more interested in it, and have better energy
conservation habits.
To accomplish this goal, an energy education unit needed to be developed,
implemented, and evaluated for the researcher's sixth grade science class at the New
London Middle School. Before developing the new energy education unit, energy
workshops and courses were attended and work with energy experts and independent
research was done as well. Next, the unit was developed. In developing the unit, research
done by Engleson and Yockers in A Guide to Curriculum Planning in Environmental
Education was followed. According to Engleson and Yockers, as with other
environmental education units, in an energy education unit students need to participate in
activities that teach energy awareness, knowledge, values, citizen action skills, and
citizen action as well as activities that use student-centered instructional strategies.
Information learned from energy research and energy education experiences were used to
develop a new energy education unit. In the spring of 2003, the control group received a
pre-test, instruction from the current energy education unit, and then the post-test. Then
in the spring of 2004, the experimental group received the pre-test, instruction from the
developed energy education unit, and then the post-test. The results were as hypothesized
and student energy knowledge increased and energy conservation values became more
positive as a result of receiving instruction from the developed energy education unit.
The results of the research show that the developed energy education unit helps
students gain a better understanding of energy knowledge and more positive energy
conservation values. The developed energy education will be used and additions will be
made as energy education evolves. The use and continued improvement of the developed
energy education unit is necessary so that students are able to make educated energy
decisions in their lives.