Developing a Long-term Learning Progression for Energy in Socio-ecological Systems

1. Human Actions: Human energy consumption causing climate change over time • Life Recognize that cellular functions are conducted through chemical reactions; Explain structure and functions of organisms in terms of three biochemical processes: Organic carbon generation & harnessing energy in photosynthesis; Organic carbon transformation & energy passing on in digestion and biosynthesis; Organic carbon oxidation & energy dissipating in cellular respiration and combustion. • Scale Use atomic-molecular understanding of processes to explain macroscopic events (e.g., growth, weight loss, decay, burning, etc.) and their large-scale effects; Trace energy separately from matter and trace energy with degradation within and across processes. • Cause & Energy Successfully trace energy in atomic-molecular processes: Identify energy-rich molecules in food and fuels based on C-C and C-H bonds; Distinguish energy transformation from matter transformation and recognize energy degradation in atomic-molecular processes; Recognize that energy degradation in atomic-molecular processes results in energy pyramid at large-scale; Recognize energy cycling as impossible. Environmental Systems Human Social and Economic Systems • Structure of human social and economic systems: • Energy distribution systems • Transportation; Appliances & machines Structure of physical systems: Air CO2, O2, H2O O=C=O and O-H-O as low-energy bonds CO2 emission Atmosphere (Physical Systems) Organic carbon oxidation and energy dissipating in combustion & cellular respiration Organic carbon oxidation and energy dissipating in cellular respiration Organic carbon generation and harnessing energy in photosynthesis Structure of biological systems: Food Chain & Ecosystems Foods, Fuels, and Organisms Carbon-containing organic compounds: carbohydrates, lipids, hydrocarbon C-C & C-H as high-energy bonds Biosphere (Biological Systems) Organic carbon transformation and energy passing on in digestion & biosynthesis Foods & Fossil Fuels Environmental System Service: Foods and fuels as energy sources Structure Loop Diagram for Energy in Environmental Systems Processes Developing a Long-term Learning Progression for Energy in Socio-ecological Systems Hui Jin and Charles W. Anderson, Michigan State University Research Story - Theoretical Framework Learning Story - A Learning Progression for Energy in Socio-ecological Systems • Development of learning progression • We seek to develop a learning progression, which describes a possible learning trajectory from informal reasoning towards scientific model-based reasoning. Hence, the learning progression has three parts: upper anchor, intermediate levels, and lower anchor. Each part contains several levels of achievement. Upper Anchor, as being defined by the society’s expectation for environmental literate citizens, was developed based on recent research in environmental and ecological science. Intermediate Levels describe students’ reasoning resulted from the intersection of their intuitions and current school science. Lower Anchor is about students’ naïve causal reasoning when they enter schools. The lower anchor and intermediate levels were developed based on assessment data. • The upper anchor - the Loop Diagram - presents a way of scientific model-based reasoning. It highlights tracing energy across processes. First, various macroscopic environmental events (e.g., growth, breathing, eating, moving, burning, etc.) collectively result in the interactions among physical, biological, and socio-economical systems at large scale. All these macroscopic events as well as their large-scale effects are determined by three key atomic/molecular processes: • Organic carbon generation & harnessing energy in photosynthesis; • Organic carbon transformation & energy passing on in digestion and biosynthesis; • Organic carbon oxidation & energy dissipating in cellular respiration and combustion. • Second, successful tracing energy across these processes should involves two aspects of understanding: • Tracing energy separately from matter • Tracing energy with degradation • Validation of learning progression • Conceptual coherence • Each level of learning performance reflects that students ways of reasoning at certain level is consistent. Across levels, the learning progression presents a trajectory of conceptual development towards qualitatively more sophisticated ways of reasoning. • Compatibility with current research • The learning performance described by the learning progression is compatible with current research on students causal reasoning and conceptual understanding of relevant content. • Empirical validation • Lower anchor and intermediate levels are developed based on empirical assessment data. The transition from one level to the next is empirically achievable. Upper Anchor Research Story - Method and Data Analysis • Participants: • Paper-and-pencil assessments: • Michigan - 90 elementary students from 4th Grade; 80 middle students from 6th, 7th, and 8th Grades; 110 high school students from 9th to 12th Grades. • Washington - 642 high school students (computer test) • Interview: • Michigan - 12 high school students from one rural high school; 6 students from a math and science center for gifted high school students. • California - 14 middle school students from one middle school that serving families of low, middle, and upper socio-economical status. • Measurement: • To investigate whether and how students apply fundamental principles of energy to account for real-world events, we developed assessment items about macroscopic events and sophisticated responses to the items usually require identifying underlying chemical processes and trace energy within and across the processes. • Data Analysis: Intermediate Levels Lower Anchor Trends & Implication • Invisible to Visible • Hierarchy of systems becomes visible: Reasoning at macroscopic scale  Using tracing energy across and within processes as the framework to account for macroscopic and large-scale events. • Interactions among systems become visible: Separated living and non-living systems  interactions among physical, biological, and human social and economical systems • Events to Process • Causal Reasoning: Natural tendency  Energy transformation and degradation in processes • Constrains: No constraint on events  Matter-energy conversion as constraint on atomic-molecular processes underlying events  Energy transformation with degradation as constraint on processes • Connections: Separated processes  Processes as being connected in terms of harnessing energy, energy passing on, and energy dissipating. • Agent to Energy • Natural tendency & Living organisms as agent  Energy as agent (i.e. Energy transformation with degradation as cause of events.) Please visit our website: http://edr1.educ.msu.edu/EnvironmentalLit/index.htm