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Students will understand the significance of green economy principles in sustainable development and the crucial role of renewable energy sources.

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What role does technology play in advancing sustainable agriculture and how can green energy contribute to a sustainable future?

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Teacher introduces concepts of green economy, sustainable agriculture using AI, and the advantages of renewable energy sources through a PowerPoint presentation.

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What is Direct Instruction?

Direct Instruction is a model to teach students that focuses on carefully plannedand well-developed lessons created around clearly explained teaching tasks and small learning increments. Direct Instruction is based on the theory that clear instruction eliminates misinterpretations, which can greatly enhance and accelerate the learning process.

Direct Instruction (or DI) was begun by Wesley Becker and Siegfried Engelmann in the 1960s, who mentioned in his principles of instruction that applying DI correctly can enhance student performance as well as certain behaviours. It is currently in use in many primary and secondary schools in the UK and other countries of the world. In this article, we will explore this concept further and offer you some ways to bring this to life with your lesson content using a new teaching framework.

Unlike constructivist informed approaches, Siegfried Engelmann believed that letting students pursue their own lines of enquiry without the appropriate support would be deemed ineffective practice. Delivering interactive lessons is fine but students need absolute clarity in how they move through the lesson content. This alternative approach is based upon designing a well-crafted, well-taught lesson. The lesson material in this instructional approach is systematically taught in a way that reduces the chance of a student developing a misconception.

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What is the philosophical underpinning of Direct Instruction?

The concept of Direct Instruction is based upon the following five key philosophical principles:

Every child can be taught;

Every child can gain academic achievement on basis of self-image.

Every teacher can be successful if provided with sufficient training and learning material.

Disadvantaged and low performing students can catch up to their higher-performing and experienced contributors and peers if they are taught using direct instruction.

Each part of instruction needs to be controlled to reduce the chance of students' misunderstanding the details being taught and to increase the reinforcement of instruction.

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integrating the direct instruction concept

How does Direct Instruction work?

Direct instruction has four main features that ensure that the students learn quickly and more effectively than any other teaching strategy available:

1. Instructions are provided according to the students' ability levels: At the start of each programme, students are assessed to check in which topics In education they have gained mastery and where do they need to improve. Then, the students with a similar stage for learning are grouped rather than those studying in the same grade level.

2. The programmes are structured to ensure mastery of the content: The programmes are organised to introduce the skills gradually. This provides a chance of gaining student achievement and the children learn and apply the skills before learning a new set of skills. Concepts and skills and are taught in isolation and then combined with other skills in a more sophisticated and advanced manner.

3. Teaching is modified according to each student's pace of learning: A remarkable feature of DI is that learners are taught according to their respective speeds of learning. If any student needs more practice of any specific skill, instructors can provide additional teaching within the program until student satisfaction after the student gains mastery of the skill. Similarly, if a student has quickly gained mastery of basic skills, he/ she can be moved to another placement so that he/ she may not have to stick to the same 21st-century skills they already possess.

4. Programs are reanalysed and revised prior to publication: Direct instruction programme elements are very unique because they are created and revised if needed. Before publishing, each DI programme is field-tested using real students. This indicates that the programme students are receiving must have already been proven to work.

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Impact of direct instruction

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Direct instruction of a well-taught lesson occurs when teachers use explicit instruction to teach any particular skill to the students. This category of teaching is teacher-directed, in which a teacher presents information while typically standing at the front of a classroom. In this teaching method, teachers adjust their teaching according to the task to improve students' understanding of a topic and follow a strict lesson plan with little room for any change.

Direct instruction does not always involve active learning or active learning activitiessuch as case studies, workshops or discussions. Presenting a movie clip or video to the students can be considered a type of direct instruction (although the instructor is not actively teaching students, the presentation of material and content was chosen by the instructor).

It must be remembered that basic techniques of teaching such as direct instruction, scaffolding or differentiation, are seldom mutually exclusive. Hence, in a variety of classroom settings,direct instruction can be incorporated with any other instructional approach in a given lesson or course. For instance, teachers can apply direct instruction to prepare learners for any activity in which the pupils work on a group project with coaching and guidance from the instructors as needed (the group activity is not considered a type of direct instruction).

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Show your class how to move their thinking forward with the Universal Thinking Framework

What are the benefits of using explicit Direct Instruction in education?

The independent practice of direct instruction does not only extend beyond demonstrating, presenting or lecturing but many are considered as foundational for effective teaching strategies. For example:

Creating learning objectives for projects, activities and lessons, and then ensuring that learners have understood the objectives.

Purposefully sequencing, and organising a series of assignments, projects and lessons, that allow students to gain stronger knowledge and achieve specific educational goals.

Reviewing instructions for an activity or project-such as a role play-so that learners understand what is expected from them.

Providing learners with clear descriptions, illustrations and explanations, of the academic skills and knowledge being taught.

Asking questions to ensure students' understanding of the teachings.

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Direct instruction model

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What do critics have to say about direct instruction?

In current times, the concept of scripted lessons with explicit direct instruction is seen as a negative practice among some teachers. As direct instruction is frequently associated with old lecture-style instruction in classrooms with many passive learnersobediently sitting on chairs and writing notes, it appears to be pedantic, outdated, or inadequately fulfilling student learning needsby some teachers and education reformers.

But, most negative connotations for the direct instruction seem to result from either a misunderstanding of its techniques or a limited definition of this concept. For instance, every educator, essentially, use some degree of direct instruction in his/ her teaching such as, while preparing lessons and courses, at the time of demonstrating and presenting information, and when teaching clear directions and illustrations of topics. These are all necessary, and to some extent inevitable, teaching activities.

The negative impact of direct instruction may arise when educators start to depend extraordinarily upon direct instruction, or when they fail to use alternative techniques that may bring better results in terms of improving student interest, comprehension and engagement.

In a 21st century classroom, many teachers do not consider a single 45-minute lecture sufficient for learning content, but the alternative techniques they may advocate - like project-based learningor self-directed learning - certainly involve some degree of direct instructions by educators.

Therefore, educators rarely use either the direct instruction method or some other type of instruction approach-in actual practice, diverse strategies are mostly a blend of explicit teaching strategies. Due to this, negative opinions of direct instruction mostly result from an over reliance on the approach, and due to viewing direct instruction as unimportant.

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Utilising the direct instruction model in your classroom

Utilising the direct instruction model in your classroom is an approach to teaching that emphasises well-developed and carefully planned lessons designed around small learning increments, sequentially organised to optimise learning. Start by identifying clear learning objectives based on the skill level of your students. This can be done effectively by implementing the Universal Thinking Framework which helps in identifying the most appropriate learning outcomes for your students.

Plan your lessons meticulously, incorporating steps that ensure the understanding of new concepts. Be prepared to present information using multiple modalities- visual aids and Graphic Organisers can play an instrumental role here. They help organise the information visually and can significantly enhance students' understanding and retention.

Student-teacher interaction is pivotal in direct instruction. Promote an environment conducive to Dialogic Pedagogy, where interactive and constructive dialogues between teacher and students drive the learning process. As Barak Rosenshine, an eminent educational researcher, asserts, "In successful classrooms, teachers spend more than half the class time lecturing, demonstrating, and asking questions."

Lastly, remember to incorporate plenty of guided and independent practice into your lessons. This helps students in refining their skills and reinforcing their understanding of the material. For instance, you might introduce a new mathematical concept with a step-by-step guide, then provide a set of problems for students to solve, first with your assistance and then independently.

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Final Thoughts

The application of Direct Instruction will bring an essential element in education: change. Educators will normally be required to teach differently than before and schools may need to apply a different organisation than they previously had. And, it is important that all concerned show hard work, commitment and dedication to students. The concept of Direct Instruction helps to internalise and adopt the belief that each student if properly taught, has the ability to learn.

Whether you are designing special education programs or delivering mainstream provision, Siegfried Engelmann's philosophy has lasted the test of time and deserves consideration. This approach might have significant implications in helping your students engage with the curriculum content. From a philosophical perspective, this approach enables learners to build robust background knowledge which can be seen as a gateway to social mobility. If you are interested in improving the amounts of knowledge your students can process you might be interested in reading about the Universal Thinking Framework. If your school is interested in having a look at this approach, please let us know and we can organise a demonstration.

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Direct Instruction: A teacher's guide for making sure everyone accesses the curriculum.

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Students collaboratively discuss how artificial intelligence can improve agricultural practices using Padlet.

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64 team building activities to bring your team together | SessionLab

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Looking for team building activities for work? Build team bonds with team building activities and games to improve communication, collaboration, and cohesion.

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Students complete a worksheet on identifying green economy principles and renewable energy sources.

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Browse independent worksheets resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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Students research and present innovative green technology in agriculture as an extension activity.

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Quick Look

Grade Level: 4 (3-5)

Time Required: 45 minutes

Lesson Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Earth and Space, Physical Science, Science and Technology

NGSS Performance Expectations:

Summary In this lesson, students are introduced to the five types of renewable energy resources by engaging in various activities to help them understand the transformation of energy (solar, water and wind) into electricity. Students explore the different roles engineers who work in renewable energy fields have in creating a sustainable environment - an environment that contributes to greater health, happiness and safety.
This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Engineering Connection

Engineers have a good understanding about energy, so they can harness renewable resources to create electricity for use in our everyday lives. Mechanical, electrical and civil engineers collaborate to develop new and more efficient ways to generate electricity from renewable resources. They design cleaner-burning engines and new car designs (such as hybrid cars) that require less fuel and result in improved gas mileage which in turns improves our planet.

Learning Objectives

After this lesson, students should be able to:

Describe sources and uses of energy.

Define renewable and non-renewable energy.

Provide examples of common types of renewable and non-renewable resources.

Understand and explain general ways to save energy at a personal, community and global level.

Understand and explain, in general terms, how passive solar heating, hydropower and wind power work.

Describe some general characteristics of solar power, hydropower and wind power.

Understand the benefits and disadvantages to using renewable resources.

Explain how engineers design more efficient ways to use generate electricity.

Describe the role of engineers in energy conservation.

Educational Standards

Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.

All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).

In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.

NGSS Performance Expectation

Click to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation

This lesson focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:

Science & Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change. Knowledge of relevant scientific concepts and research findings is important in engineering. Over time, people's needs and wants change, as do their demands for new and improved technologies.

NGSS Performance Expectation

Click to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation

This lesson focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:

Science & Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or through sound, light, or electric currents. Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, or heat. When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another, thereby changing their motion. In such collisions, some energy is typically also transferred to the surrounding air; as a result, the air gets heated and sound is produced. Light also transfers energy from place to place. Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electric currents, which can then be used locally to produce motion, sound, heat, or light. The currents may have been produced to begin with by transforming the energy of motion into electrical energy.

Use multiple resources - including print, electronic, and human - to locate information about different sources of renewable and nonrenewable energy (Grade 4) More Details
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Identify and describe the variety of energy sources (Grade 4) More Details
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Energy comes in many forms such as light, heat, sound, magnetic, chemical, and electrical (Grade 4) More Details
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Suggest an alignment not listed above

Introduction/Motivation

Brainstorm a list of ideas about where and when we use energy. (Answer: We use energy all the time. Humans use energy to be active - to walk, talk, play basketball, etc. We use energy to power our appliances, vehicles, lights, etc. Cells use energy to perform the most basic life functions. Life as we know it would not be possible without energy production and consumption.)

Energy is everywhere! Although sometimes you can hear energy (sound), feel energy (wind), taste energy (food), and see energy (light), most often it is hard to figure out exactly where energy is.

Energy can move and change, but it cannot be destroyed. Almost every form of energy can be converted into other forms. It is similar to the heat you feel coming off a light bulb while it is on. The warmth is light energy changed to heat energy. Whatever form it is in, energy is essentially the ability for making something happen or, as scientists put it, "doing work."

Where do we get our energy? Well, a lot of energy originally comes from the sun. We get some energy directly from the sun when we use solar panels; however, most energy comes from fossil fuels (coal and oil), which got their energy from fossilized plants and other organisms that obtained their energy directly from the sun by a process called photosynthesis that occurred many years ago. There are many different types of energy, as we brainstormed earlier. Some of these types of energy are called renewable, or can be re-used, such as energy from the sun, wind or water. Other energy is called non-renewable because once it is used up, it is gone, like coal and oil.

Figure 2. The four sources of non-renewable energy.

Now, imagine yourself having surgery in a hospital and the power goes out. This scenario would be terrible. Fortunately, hospitals have backup generators (designed by engineers!) to prevent this from ever happening. Generators are like storage houses for energy and are usually powered by electricity from coal or fossil fuels. Generators are not normally attached to things like stoplights, railcars or computer networks, which is why we sometimes see stoplights that have gone out. Now, imagine that all of the above mentioned things are backed up with solar energy power or another type of stored renewable energy. This stored power, especially in the form of solar power, never becomes overloaded (which is what happens when the lights in your house or neighborhood go out). The renewable source is always supplying more energy; i.e., the sun is almost always shining on some part of the Earth, wind is always blowing, and rivers are always running. Storing renewable energy for power failures is a better idea because those energy supplies will never run out.

Engineers know all about energy and are currently designing new and more efficient ways to generate electricity using renewable resources. They are designing cleaner engines that use less fuel and new car designs that use electric motors. Today, we are going to look at how engineers can use sun, wind and water power to create electricity to run our homes, cars and everything else. Wow! What incredible engineering creativity!

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

What Is Power?

Energy is the ability to do work (applying a force over a distance), to make things happen, to cause change, or to start motion (a change in position of an object with time). It is the capacity for vigorous activity.

Energy can move (be transferred) and change (be transformed), but it cannot be destroyed. Interactions produce changes in a system, although the total quantities of energy remain unchanged. For example, a power station produces electricity by changing the energy from fuel into electrical energy. A gas-fired power station burns gas, converting the gas' chemical energy into heat. Almost every form of energy can be converted into other forms. But whatever form it is in, energy is essentially the capacity for making something happen or, as scientists put it, "doing work."

Energy comes from many sources, directly or indirectly: power plants, people, food, light, windmills, turbines, fires, electrical circuits, the sun, machines, etc. All energy originally comes from natural resources, most of which originate from the sun.

We use energy to heat houses and buildings, provide light, heating water, break down food, play sports, do activities, operate vehicles, etc.

What are the Different Types of Energy?

Biomass is the combustion of materials that originate from living things.

Chemical is used to fuel automobiles and other vehicles.

Electrical drives many small machines and keeps lights glowing.

Geothermal taps steam from water heated underground (like geysers) and uses it to spin turbines.

Hydrogen power uses electricity to break down water into hydrogen gas. The amount of energy released is less than the energy used to break it apart, so not currently feasible.

Hydroelectricity generates electricity by harnessing the power of flowing water (a renewable resource as long as there is rain). Refer to the associated activity Water Power for students to observe and learn about water related methods of harvesting energy.

Kinetic is the energy of motion. A spinning top, a falling object, and a rolling ball all have kinetic energy. The motion, if resisted by a force, does work. Wind and water both have kinetic energy. Refer to the associated activity Wind Power to give students an understanding of how wind energy is harvested and used.

Light energy is generated from light bulbs and computer screens, the sun.

Nuclear fusion imitates the method the sun uses to produce energy. It involves the joining together of the nuclei of hydrogen atoms.

Nuclear fission is when energy is given off from splitting nuclei of uranium atoms.

Potential energy is the energy stored by an object as a result of its position. For example, roller coaster at the top of a hill.

Sound energy is created, for example, when a door slams, it releases sound energy.

Solar energy occurs from the sun (light). Refer to the associated activity Solar Power for students to explore this energy form.

Thermal energy (or heat) boils water, keeps us warm and drives engines.

Tidal energy is when the energy from ocean tides is harnessed.

Other energy sources, for example, include energy created from old car tires: this source fuels five power stations in the U.S. Also, engineers are trying to design new gas power stations (gas drives the electricity generators and then is reused to heat the plant). Lastly, methane that is produced in sanitary landfills may be used to make power.

How are Energy Sources Categorized?

Non-Renewable Energy Sources Renewable Energy Sources

Natural gas

Wind

Coal

Water

Oil

Solar

Other Fossil Fuels

What are Engineers Doing to Improve Our Energy Sources?

Current uses of fossil fuels have catastrophic effects on our environment. Obtaining and using them destroys natural habitats and pollutes the air, water, and land. We can reduce this consumption of fossil fuels by finding alternative, renewable methods of energy production. Engineers are involved in many new technologies that will save our precious resources from devastating long-term effects.

And, engineers are improving the design of factories and products to make even more efficient use of our resources. They are designing cleaner engines that use less fuel and new car designs that run by electric motors. They are studying corals because they very efficiently use low levels of phosphate in the water for energy. Corals have fractal surfaces, and scientists believe that fractal surfaces could make many chemical reactions more efficient. They are working to make machines smaller and more efficient (industrial engineers/designers). For example, they developed fiber optics (thin glass cables to replace heavy metal ones for phones). These efforts contribute to a better, cleaner planet for all inhabitants. Wouldn't it be great to be an engineer making such an important difference in our lives?

Associated Activities

Lesson Closure

Ask the students to describe some sources of renewable energy? (Answer: sun, wind, water) Can they list three specific ways that engineers are involved with renewable resources? (Possible answers: engineers study renewable resources to develop better ways to use these resources for energy generation; engineers design cars that run off renewable resources; engineers design generators that store the energy gathered from renewable resources; engineers develop wind farms to generate electricity for us to use; engineers develop hydropower plants to generate electricity for us to use; engineers are developing machines that are more efficient to reduce the amount of energy, renewable or non-renewable, that gets used; and engineers work to inform communities about what they can do to help conserve energy and use renewable resources.) Engineers work at developing new technologies that use renewable sources to contribute to greater health, happiness and safety of our Earth's inhabitants.

Vocabulary/Definitions

absorb: To be taken into a material without transmission or reflection.

active solar system: Solar power systems that use electrical or mechanical components, such as fans, pumps, and electrical controls in circulating fluids. These systems can be used for heating water or heating/cooling buildings.

anemometer: An instrument for measuring the velocity of wind.

convection: The transfer of thermal energy in a fluid (gas or liquid) by the circulation of currents in the heated fluid causing warmer packets to rise while cooler packets sink.

electromagnetic radiation: Electromagnetic energy transmitted in the form of waves or particles (photons); the electromagnetic spectrum, in order of increasing energy: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, gamma rays, cosmic-ray photons.

generator: A device that transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy.

heat exchanger: A device, such as an automobile radiator, that transfers heat from one liquid to another without allowing them to mix.

heat-transfer fluid: A fluid circulated in a heat exchanger; this fluid gains energy from one region and transfers it to another region.

hydraulic head: The difference in depth of a liquid at two given points; the pressure of the liquid at the lower point expressed in terms of this difference.

insulation: A material used to prevent the passage of heat, electricity, or sound (i.e., a non-conducting material).

passive solar system: Solar power systems that do not require electrical or mechanical components; these systems can be used for heating water or heating/cooling buildings.

penstock: A pipe or conduit used to carry water to a water wheel or turbine.

photovoltaic system: This is a system which converts solar energy into electricity.

reflect: This is when something such as sound waves or light waves bend back or return upon striking a surface.

regenerate: To re-grow or replace.

renewable energy: Energy that is made from sources that can be regenerated or reused is renewable.

rotor: The rotating part of an electrical or mechanical device is the rotor.

thermal mass: Materials that store thermal energy, such as water, concrete, brick, stone, adobe, tile, etc.

transmit: To allow the passage through a material.

turbine: A machine in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy by causing a series of buckets, paddles, or blades on a rotor to rotate.

Assessment

Pre-lesson assessment

Brainstorming: Ask students to brainstorm ideas about where and when we use energy. (Possible answers: We use energy all the time. Humans use energy to be active - to walk, talk, play basketball, etc. We use energy to power our appliances, vehicles, lights, etc. Cells use energy to perform the most basic life functions. Life as we know it would not be possible without energy production and consumption.)

Post-introduction assessment

Guess the Amount!: Ask students the following questions and ask them to guess at the different percentages of energy use. Discuss and explain the answers.

What percent of the energy the world uses today is derived from fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas)? (Answer: 80-85%. This means that only 15-20% of the energy we use is from renewable energy sources such as sun, wind and water.)

The U.S. has less than 5% of the world's population. What percent of the world's energy do we use? (Answer: Around 17%. This means that the U.S. uses a lot more energy than other countries. Why do the students think that is? Discuss the amount of toys, appliances and other electric powered items in a single person's home.)

What percent of the electricity consumed in the U.S. is used for light bulbs? (Answer: 5%. This means that we leave a lot of light bulbs on when unused. Can the students think of a time where they could save some electricity by turning off a light bulb?)

Discussion: Ask students the following questions. Discuss the answers.

How do we know the energy is there? (Answer: We can see it, feel it, hear it, etc.)

Ask students to describe where this energy comes from. (Answer: ultimately all of it comes from natural resources (renewable and non-renewable), but it is often moved (transferred) and changed (transformed) in the process. You may want to give an example here like coal being mined from the earth, sent to power plants where it is burned to produce steam. The steam turns a turbine and produces electricity that is sent to our houses via power lines, and used in our electrical items like a refrigerator. Or how solar energy is used by plants to create food so they can grow and then we, in turn, use the plants as food to provide energy for our bodies.)

Ask students to describe where they get their energy. (Answer: from food) Ask them to describe what might happen if suddenly there was no more food. (Note: this is a stretch for some because generally food is considered a renewable resource and because the food supply often seems unlimited to people in the U.S.). What would they do? (Answer: Become hungry, eventually starve, engineer some new source of nutrients, etc.) How would they feel? (Answer: Hungry, sad, scared, motivated to find a way to survive, etc.)

What if there was only a tiny bit of food? How would it get distributed? Who would decide? What are some other consequences? (Answer: equal world-wide distribution, war, the rich get it, others die, new source of nutrients discovered/engineered, etc.)

Lesson summary assessment

Future Timeline: Ask students to work in a group to imagine what today would be like if there were no electricity (permanently, not just a blackout situation). Ask them to develop a timeline describing what this typical day might be like. Ask them to really consider how they would feel and what they would do. Ask each group to present their timeline to the class.

Venn Diagram: Ask students to create a Venn Diagram to compare/contrast a form of renewable energy and a form of non-renewable energy. They should provide as many facts and details as they can.

Homework

Save a Watt: Ask students to engage in two energy saving activities before the next class period. Ask them to describe in detail the impact these actions had during the next class. You can have the students list the activities or write a paragraph and turn the assignment in.

Lesson Extension Activities

Write and illustrate a children's story for 8-10 year olds about life in the year 2100. It should describe life without fossil fuels and should identify the energy sources used in everyday life as well as some type of conservation measures.

Discuss what is happening with our world energy supply from fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources. (Examples: fossil fuels are being dangerously depleted, the rich countries receive a larger share of the energy and are more wasteful with it, wars are developing; e.g., the Gulf War, scientists and engineers are researching and developing renewable energy sources, etc.)

Check out the awesome information and activities/games at Environmental Education for Kids (EEK) website from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at dnr.wi.gov

Check out some of the activities at Watt Watchers: https://www.watt-watchers.com/student-activities/

Check out some of the activities and games about energy online

1. Play energy-themed games at NASA's Climate Kids website: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/energy/

2. Learn more about renewable energy at Alliant Energy's website: https://www.alliantenergykids.com/RenewableEnergy/RenewableEnergyHome

3. Read, color, and solve puzzles in the "Saving Energy in My Home Coloring and Activity Book" at https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/consumer/saving-energy-home.pdf

4. Try a Nuclear Chain Reaction activity at http://nuclearconnect.org/in-the-classroom/for-teachers/nuclear-chain-reaction-using-dominoes

References

American Wind Association, www.awea.org

Boulder Community Network, Environmental Center, bcn.boulder.co.us/environment/

California Energy Commission, www.energyquest.ca.gov/

Energy Information Administration, Energy Kid's Page, www.eia.gov/kids/

Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics, Boston, MA: Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 2004.

Goswami, D. Yogi, Kreith, Frank, and Kreider, Jan F. Principles of Solar Engineering, Taylor & Francis Group, 2nd edition, 2000.

Graham, Ian, Taylor, Barbara, Fardon, John, Oxlad, Chris and Parker, Steve. Science Encyclopedia, Miles Kelly, 2000.

Milton Hydro, https://www.miltonhydro.com/Residential/Community/Power-Kids

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, www.nrel.gov

Snow, Theodore. The Dynamic Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy, Minnesota: West Publishing Company, 1988.

Steen, Anthena S., Steen, Bill, Bainbridge, David and Eisenberg. The Straw Bale House, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1994.

Texas State Energy Conservation Office, www.infinitepower.org/lessonplans.htm

U.S. Department of Energy, energy.gov

U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, www.eere.energy.gov

Copyright © 2005 by Regents of the University of Colorado.

Contributors Amy Kolenbrander; Jessica Todd; Malinda Schaefer Zarske; Janet Yowell

Supporting Program Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Acknowledgements

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. 0338326. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: November 17, 2021

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In this lesson, students are introduced to the five types of renewable energy resources by engaging in various activities to help them understand the transformation of energy (solar, water and wind) into electricity. Students explore the different roles engineers who work in renewable energy fields have in creating a sustainable environment - an environment that contributes to greater health, happiness and safety.

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Utilize observations and discussions during group activities to assess understanding of green economy and sustainable agriculture.

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Formative assessment is an ongoing process used by teachers and students for teaching and learning; to improve student understanding of planned disciplinary learning outcomes and help students to become self-directed learners. The main purpose of formative assessment is to monitor the process of learning and to provide ongoing feedback that can help learners to improve their learning and help instructors to improve their instructions. More precisely, formative assessments:

help learners recognise their weaknesses and strengths and work on areas that need improvement;

help instructors identify where learners are struggling and dealing with the problems.

Hattie (2009) conducted a meta-analysis of over 800 studies investigating factors that influence student attainment and found feedback to be the most influential factor. This finding has often been wrongly used to justify teachers needing to spend more time marking. However, this is just one of three forms of feedback that Hattie was referring to. He also considered the impact of feedback from students to teachers and from one student to another.

Feedback is evidently an important part of learning. This article provides an overview of Dylan Wiliam's secrets to effective feedback (Wiliam, 2016).

Feedback is only successful if students use it to improve their performance and we cannot take it for granted that feedback of any type will achieve this. Research has shown that it is possible for feedback to be detrimental to learning when compared to students receiving no feedback at all. To avoid this situation, Wiliam (2016) shares the following advice.

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In most cases, unlike summative assessments, formative assessments in schools are low stakes, having low or no point value; however, these ungraded assessments are considered to be highly valuable to help students enhance their performance and to help teachers identify what students understood, and what they didn't. Often, the purpose of feedback is to enable a student to achieve something in the future that they are currently not able to achieve. In this case, feedback should focus on improving the student rather than the piece of work.

Sometimes, the purpose of the feedback may be to inform the teacher about what their class knows and to influence their lesson planning. In this case, notes in the teacher's planner may be more appropriate than notes on every individual piece of work. The time spent marking work and giving feedback can be much more productive if you consider the purpose of the feedback before you decide the best approach to take.

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Examples of Formative Assessment Strategies

Use students' work to understand where they are starting from and give them feedback that they can use from this starting point. The effectiveness of feedback will be limited by the task that has been set; if it is cleverly designed to illuminate students' understanding, the feedback that can be given will be more effective and more accessible for the student. Formative assessment strategies help teachers determine if more instruction is needed. Using formative assessments in the classroom prevents both teachers and students from getting any surprises in the form of poor final grades. Some of the most significant formative assessment strategies are:

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1. Analysis of Students Work

Students' homework, quizzes and standardised tests can be used as evidence of student learning. When teachers carry out the analysis of student performance they get knowledge about:

A student's current level of skills, attitude and knowledge about the subject matter;

A student's strengths and weaknesses;

A student's need for special assistance; and

How to modify their teaching methodsand make their teaching more effective in the future.

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2. Strategic Questioning Strategies

Strategic questioningmethods can be used with the students as daily classroom practice. The main aim of questioning is the academic progress of students. Effective formative assessment practices involve asking learners to answer higher-order questions such as "how" and "why."

It is one of the simplest formative assessment strategies. As a classroom practice, the teacher asks a question, and students write down their responses. Then students sitin pairs to engage in effective classroom discussions about their answers. The teacher moves around the classroom and gains insight into the student learning processby listening to students' responses. Then, the students share their answers with the whole class.

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4. Admit/ Exit Tickets

An Admit / Exit Ticket provides a simple but useful formative assessment type. An Exit Ticket is a small index card or piece of paper, on which they provide an accurate interpretation of the current topic taught in the class, and then they discuss more of the topic. The learners deposit their exit slips when leaving the classroom. Admit Tickets are used as the students enter in the class. They are used to check student learning by answering questions about the homework or what was taught the day before.

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5. One-Minute Papers

One-minute papers are mostly carried out before the day ends. They provide an opportunity for students to answer a brief question. Then, these papers are collected and assessed by the teacher to gain insight into the student learning process. One-minute papers provide the formative assessment practices that are found to be more beneficial when done on a regular basis.

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Dylan Wiliam's Formative Assessment Strategies

According to a well-known British educationalist and Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at the University College London, Dylan Wiliam, 'formative assessment' defines all the processes by which learners and teachers use information about the achievement of students to make changes in the students learning that enhance their achievement. Some of the great formative assessment strategies proposed by Dylan Wiliam are:

1. Clarifying, understanding, and sharing learning intentions

Research suggests that the teachers need to:

Describe learning intentions at the beginning of the lesson.

Provide success criteria and learning intentions in the simple language.

Use keywords on posters to explain, describe, discuss and evaluate learning.

Use writing frames and lesson plans judiciously.

Use annotated examples of various standards to "flesh out" rubrics for the chapter tests.

Give opportunities to the students to construct their interim tests.

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2. Engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks and activities that elicit evidence of learning

It means that the questioning in the classroom must encourage the process of thinking and provide evidence to inform teaching. Teachers can improve the process of questioning through:

Attending specialised training for educators and generating questions with their colleagues;

Thinking low-order vs. high-order, not open vs. closed;

Giving sufficient wait time to the students.

Teachers need to discourage the I-R-E (

Regularly using student response techniques through mini whiteboards, ABCD cards, and exit passes.

applying the 'no hands up' rule (except to ask a question).

initiation-response-evaluation) by:
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Providing feedback that moves learners forward

Dylan Wiliam gave practical advice to educators that their feedbacks are said to be successful only if they improve students' learning process. Then, it depends upon students' capacity to understand and accept the feedbacks and show a willingness to act on them. Successful feedback has a motivational and interpersonal element. Effective feedback suggests actions learners can apply rather than providing a negative retrospective critique.

A common goal of feedback must be to improve the students' capacity to create high quality work, not just to improve their task. This characteristic of formative assessments connects it to self-regulation and metacognition and Rosenshine's concepts about switching from guided practice to independent practice. Successful learners possess the ability to link their task with the success criteria and create their regular self-improvement feedback narrative.

Provide feedback in the form of a task to ensure that students actively engage with the feedback they have been given. For example, give students just enough information about an error they have made so that they can identify it for themselves (e.g. 'one of the causes you identified is incorrect', or 'there are three incorrect answers'). Students should spend at least as much time responding to feedback as the teacher has spent providing it; making feedback into detective work can ensure students take time to reflect on their original piece of work.

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Activating students as learning resources for one another

learners checking answers of their partner,

learners using the structured dialogues for rehearsing explanations and arguments and practising the use of language.

Students' pairs verify the work of their partner using a factsheet, mark schemas and exemplars as reference.

This is an important formative assessment strategy proposed by Wiliam. According to Wiliam's advice for teachers, the frequency, quality and ratio, of student interactions with the knowledge in hand can significantly increase if teachers create strong routines in which students help other students to learn in a serious structured way. It is not easy for the teachers to engage in conversations on the performance of students in each class but students can be engaged in meaningful conversations with one another to support the process of learning.

At this stage of formative assessment activities 'think pair share' becomes very strong. A high volume of peer feedback and peer-to-peer interactivity is found to be very useful if teachers apply a strong process to evaluate students' responses for quality and accuracy. There are so many ways of ac tivating students as learning resources for one another. Some of these ways are:

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providing students with access to the plan of instruction, syllabus and long-term topic plans before teaching them the details;

setting milestones to check pupil progress. By doing so, teachers enable students to plan their next steps and make them increasingly independent.

demonstrating performance exemplars at different levels of success up to a high level so learners can compare their levels and move forward to achieve their learning targets.

setting clear relational models for building conceptual schema.

Activating students as owners of their learning

Owning one's is an important part of metacognition and strong self-regulation. Like any other developmental process, these traits of effective learning can be nurtured in students by creating expectations and good routines. Teachers can play a crucial role in making students understand where they are on the curriculum planning and where they want to be. Teachers can do this by:

If a student understands for himself what he must do to improve himself and knows that he can achieve success by applying effort to his self-determined objectives, then he can gain confidence that brings him even more success. Dedicating time to equip students with the skills of self-assessment is likely to be more productive in the longer term, save teachers' time, and improve students' ability to reflect and learn independently.

The skill of self-assessment can be scaffolded: starting with feedback on anonymous work, then peers' work, and then the student's own work. The type of feedback required will depend on the subject, the task, and the purpose of the feedback.

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Adapting Formative Assessment Strategies for different abilities

Adapting formative assessment strategies for different abilities is essential in creating an inclusive classroom learning environment that caters to the diverse needs of all students.

By considering the varying levels of skills and attainment levels among students, teachers can design assessments that not only evaluate student progress but also encourage effective classroom discussions and foster higher-order thinking skills.

One approach to adapting formative assessment strategies is to incorporate thinking blocks or tiered activities that challenge students at their individual skill levels while still addressing the same learning objectives.

These activities can be designed to gradually increase in complexity, allowing students with varying abilities to actively participate in the learning process.

Establishing a dialogue between teachers and students is another crucial aspect of adapting formative assessment strategies. By engaging in open communication with students, teachers can better understand their individual needs, address any misconceptions, and provide targeted feedback. This can also help alleviate teacher workload by focusing on the areas where students require the most support.

In conclusion, adapting formative assessment strategies for different abilities is vital in creating an inclusive and engaging learning environment.

By carefully designing assessments that cater to varying skill levels, fostering open communication, and providing targeted feedback, teachers can ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed and develop essential higher-order thinking skills.

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Embedding formative assessment tools

Many of the schools that we work with have been utilising the mental modelling technique to find out what pupils know. The block structures allow children to dig deeper into the curriculum and figure out how all the parts fit together. As they build, they articulate their understanding to one another.

This opens up opportunities for responsive teaching. The block structures reflect what the students think which means that we now have access to their mental models. Teaching staff can use these block structures for higher-order questions.

Using big picture questions, educators can use the models as a launchpad for deeper thinking. Unlike standardised tests, the mental models are malleable and change as the students understanding progresses. Embedding these opportunities into curriculum design means that educators always get the inside picture of what a pupil really knows.

Instructors can use these insights to provide detailed, actionable feedback when the learner needs it most. The added benefit of this pedagogy is that it promotes rich classroom dialogue which over time, builds a positive classroom environment.

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Formative Assessment Strategies: A teacher's guide

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How can you move learning forward using formative assessment strategies in your classroom?

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A quiz on green economy principles, the role of AI in agriculture, and renewable energy sources to measure student learning outcomes.

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SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT quiz for Professional Development. Find other quizzes for and more on Quizizz for free!

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Students reflect on the impact of green technology in agriculture and the importance of sustainable energy sources.

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