Development of a Socio-Ecological Learning Performance for Middle School Students' Ideas About Energy Flow (Poster 19)

• In Event: Saturday Poster Session 9:35 am
  In Poster Session: Learning Sciences SIG Poster Session 2: Co-Design, Math, Science, and Language Learning

Abstract

Socio-ecological systems thinking (SEST), is an interdisciplinary science branch that views natural systems and societal systems as one overall system. To support students in building SEST, we designed a 10-week, place-based energy literacy unit where 6th-grade students investigated energy flow between natural systems and their school building. Students developed systems models throughout the unit that they used to propose energy flow relationships between large scale system components and to articulate causal mechanisms that lead to overall system behavior. We analyzed their pre/mid/post-systems models to elucidate their trajectories in discerning system behavior. Findings suggest that students improved in proposing energy flow relationships and causal mechanisms for either the social or natural systems but did not view them as one overall system. 

Authors

• Laura Zangori, University of Missouri

• Rebekah Snyder, University of Missouri

• Laura Cole, Colorado State University

• Sepideh Fallahhosseini, University of Missouri

• Suzanne Otto, University of Missouri