Teaching and Learning the Physics Energy Concept

Reinders DuitIPN – Leibniz Institute for Science Education, Kiel Germany

duit@ipn.uni-kiel.de

This is a review of major fields of research on teaching and learning the energy concept, drawing on:

Analyses on the role of the energy concept in physics (including philosophy and history of science issues)

Analyses of competencies and insights students need to achieve, in order to be able to understand energy issues in their life-world and in society (as part of their scientific literacy)

Findings of empirical research on teaching and learning the energy concept

Four Basic Aspects of the Energy Concept(Duit, 1985)

EnergyTransformation

EnergyTransfer

EnergyConservation

EnergyDegradation

A process of identifying the „elementary“ ideas of the energy concept resulted in these

four Basic Aspects.

Four Basic Aspects of the Energy Concept(Duit, 1985)

EnergyTransformation

EnergyTransfer

EnergyConservation

EnergyDegradation

The four Basic Aspects are intimately linked ….

Four Basic Aspects of the Energy Concept(Duit, 1985)

EnergyTransformation

EnergyTransfer

EnergyConservation

EnergyDegradation

The four Basis Aspects are intimately linked ….Hence, understanding a single aspect is possible

only in a process taking the other aspects into account as well.

Energy – An abstract Accounting QuantityIt seems that the physics energy concept is about this:

Energy is a key quantity of a system. Whatever happens in the system, the quantity energy does not change – if there are no interactions with other systems.

Auerbach (1913)In the big firm of nature energy holds the position of a book keeper who is responsible for debit and credit. The director being responsible for the direction the firm should develop is entropy.

Various Conceptualizations of Energy

(a)Energy is the ability to perform work

(b)Energy is the ability to cause changes

(c)Energy is the ability to produce heat

(d)Energy is a general kind of fuel

(e)Energy is a quasi-material substance

(f) The conceptualist and materialist distinction

(g)Energy is an abstract accounting quantity

(h)Energy is a substance like quality

Research on Teaching and Learning Energy

(1)The literature on teaching and learning energy (in school, university, out of school settings) is quite extensive

(2)Students have severe difficulties to learn the key ideas addressed by the basic aspects of energy

(3)Students do not use the energy concept as learned in school when explaining processes in science classes

(4)Students do not use the energy concept learned in science instruction in real life situations

Learning Progressions towards the Energy Concept

(1)The sequence of stepping stones towards understanding the energy concept seem to be very similar in the various studies available:(a) experiences of various kinds(b) energy forms(c) transformations and transfers(d) degradation(c) conservation

(2)However, the fact that energy conservation is the most difficult basic aspect according to these studies may have to do with the fact that usually quantitative considerations drawing on energy formula have to be done in the items (tasks) measuring energy conservation

Towards Unfolding and Differentiating Students Pre-Instructional Ideas

(1)The development of key science ideas such as heat (or energy) may be seen as a process of unfolding and differentiating previous ideas.

(2)As outlined understanding a single basic aspect of energy is possible only in a process taking the other aspects into account as well – at least to a certain extent.

(3)Hanson (1965) argued that physics concepts may be fully understood only within the framework of the theory these concepts include (idaes of „theory loaded concepts“).

(4)Learning progressions so far focus on identifying a linear progression (e.g. from experiences and energy forms towards understanding degradation and conservation.

(5)Maybe learning progressions should be also seen in a more recursive way.