Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education
Engaging Preservice Secondary Science Teachers in a NGSS-Based Energy Lesson: A Nanoscience Context
Document Type Article
Copyright 2019, American Chemical Society. 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 sizedependent 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.