New Perspectives in Science Education

Since 2016, the expansion of renewable energies has been a key sustainability goal of the UN Agenda 2030 [1]. An increasing number of educational concepts provide teaching materials to explore the scientific contexts of energy transition, such as the construction of organic photovoltaic cells as hands on experiments for high school chemistry students. Our research aims to innovate and relink learning content as democratic basic education in natural sciences for middle school teaching. We incorporate new topics related to energy transition alongside existing curriculum content [2]. Our teaching series addresses future mobility, starting with the combustion of fossil fuels in internal combustion engines and progressing towards sustainable mobility solutions. We focus on hydrogen as an alternative energy carrier, investigating it experimentally. A student experiment on water electrolysis using low-cost materials as a Tic Tac box was developed for hydrogen production. Following Tausch et al [3]., we convert the electrolysis cell into a simplified low-cost fuel cell, bridging the gap to mobility transition. The goal is to help students understand complex research topics using simple household materials, enhancing the interconnectivity of knowledge and research. The teaching concept was piloted in two Design-Based Research (DBR) cycles. As part of the learning process, students created their own learning videos in groups, which were reviewed and awarded at a film award ceremony. Concept maps served as pre- and post-tests for evaluation, allowing us to assess improvements in the interconnections of learning content and draw conclusions about student engagement and interest. The significant time commitment in creating the learning videos, along with the creative presentation of knowledge and improvement in soft skills, indicates a high level of student motivation and sustainable outcomes regarding environmental topics, as well as an enhancement of the learners’ foundational scientific knowledge.

Keywords: energy transition, power-to-gas, green hydrogen, decarbonisation, semiconductors, learning videos, concept maps, evaluation tools, chemistry education, curricular development, science and environment, science and teaching methods 

References:

[1] https://sdg-portal.de/en/ (accessed: December 2024)
[2] V. Meggyes, A. Banerji, Nachr. Chemie 2023, 71(6), pp. 15-18, https://doi.org/10.1002/nadc.20234134091
[3] M. Tausch, C. Bohrmann, M. Seesing, PdN-ChiS, 51(6), 2002