Engaging Preservice Secondary Science Teachers in an NGSS-Based Energy Lesson: A Nanoscience Context

Authors

Deepika Menon, Towson UniversityFollow
Mary Sajini Devadas, Towson UniversityFollow

ORCID IDs

Deepika Menon: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8652-7019

Date of this Version

2019

Citation

Published in Journal of Chemical Education 96 (2019), pp. 528−534.

doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00169

Comments

Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc. Used by permission.

Abstract

The new approach to teaching science presented by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) warrants training high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers to prepare the future STEM workforce. We share the implementation of an energy lesson using a nanoscience approach, well-aligned with the NGSS vision, in a secondary- STEM-education course for preservice science teachers. First, we engaged preservice teachers in discussions related to alternate sources of energy; this was followed by a case-study approach to illustrate a real-world problem of energy deficiency and solar energy (solar cells using nanoparticles) as one potential solution because it is cost-efficient, clean, and a renewable source of energy. Preservice teachers conducted several hands-on explorations in groups using real cube models to understand and illustrate the size-dependent nature and dimensions of nanoparticles, used lasers and visuals of a UV−vis spectrum, and observed the trends in voltage and current outputs for fluorine-doped tin oxide electrodes with and without nanoparticle solution. Formulating evidence-based explanations, students summarized their findings as a case-study report regarding the nanoparticle approach as a remedy to the energy-deficit problem. The lesson provides opportunities for preservice science teachers to develop an understanding of green energy and illustrates how the NGSS standards can be tied together in a science lesson.