NANOSCIENCE

The Exploration of Student Engagement and Understanding Of Nanoscience and Technology

The ultimate goal of this research is to educate future citizens to be nanoliterate by providing the basic knowledge and skills of nanosciences. In this study, we intend to redirect science education toward a system wherein new scientific advances can be quickly and easily integrated into science curricula.  Students will encounter new ideas and employ new technological skills to discover the unseen nanoworld that exists in the most familiar things around them, inspiring them to develop a new consciousness of science and technology.

A key innovation of this project includes developing, testing, and revising the 6th through 12th grade classroom activities and materials that support students in learning nanoscience content.  The activities and materials will be designed based on the national standards and design principles derived from current research on learning, instruction and assessment.  We will investigate whether students develop deep understanding of key nanoscience concepts using these materials.  Our research will also evaluate modeling & simulation techniques; remote control cutting edge instrumentation; visualization; and haptic tools as vehicles for promoting science learning.

This project has three sets of research questions:

 

NANOSCIENCE CONCEPTS FOR GRADES 7 – 12

What are Big Ideas in nanoscience?

•  A document on the Big Ideas has been submitted for publication.

What prior knowledge is essential to develop deep conceptual knowledge (understanding?) of nanoscience ideas?

What is a possible developmental trajectory for students to achieve major learning goals related to nanoscience?

What types of experiences are developmentally appropriate for different learners?

What challenges arise when nanoscience and engineering (NSE) concepts are introduced to different age groups?

•  Can introducing nanoscience concepts into the classroom enhance   student understanding of current 

    science curricula?

•  Can we identify appropriate phenomena for diverse learners to explore in order to learn nanoscience?

•  How do we scaffold diverse learners to build understanding of complex ideas in nanoscience?

 

TEACHER ENACTMENT AND LEARNING IN NSE

What knowledge, beliefs and teaching practices do science teachers need to support student achievement of nanoscience learning goals?

What is the value of various professional development experiences?

•  supporting materials

•  professional workshops

•  learning communities

How can nanoscience support teachers’ use of inquiry in the classroom?

 

TOOLS FOR LEARNING NSE

How can we design learning technologies so that students can interact with the unseen nanoworld to meet important learning goals?

What learning outcomes result when students use such learning tools that allow them to “touch”, “see” and “interact” with the nanoworld?

 

From this research, we will provide new ideas in teaching and learning specific to nanoscience, and identify the best way to integrate nanoscience concepts into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curricula.  This research will also address issues that are critical to STEM education and yield effective new methods for “adapting and adopting emerging technologies into STEM education.

• A Curriculum on Gecko Adhesion: How do geckos stick

 

 

Funder:                                         National Science Foundation

Principal Investigators:            Robert Chang, Northwestern University

Co-Principal Investigators:     Joseph Krajcik, University of Michigan

                                                        Nicholas Giordano, Purdue University

                                                        Tom Mason, Northwestern University

Partner Organizations:             Northwestern University, Purdue University, University of Michigan,

                                                        University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign,      

                                                        Argonne National Laboratory, Alabama A&M University, Fisk University,     

                                                        Hampton University, Morehouse College, University of Texas at El Paso

                                                       

 

Status:                                           Ongoing