Teaching Energy Transformation in Photosynthesis to Middle School Students

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 61
  In Roundtable Session: Learner, Instructor, and Designer Roles

Abstract

Photosynthesis, part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013), is often taught as a biological process that transforms light, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen gas. In partnership with teachers, students, and domain experts, we designed and tested a dynamic visualization that shows the chemical reactions that make up the photosynthesis process. In a classroom study, 7th graders engaged with the visualization and constructed sophisticated explanations of energy and matter transformation in photosynthesis. This study demonstrates how molecular-level visualizations can help integrate cross-cutting NGSS concepts of energy and matter across curriculum topics such as photosynthesis.

Authors

• Korah Wiley, University of California - Berkeley

• Eliane Stampfer Wiese, University of California, Berkeley

• Marcia Linn, University of California - Berkeley