Integrating nanoscience and technology in the high school science classroom

Abstract

In the National Science Foundation funded NanoTeach development project, high school teachers participated in a year-long professional development experience where they learned about emerging nanoscale science and technology (NS&T) content and research-based instructional strategies to support effective classroom lesson design and implementation. Program participants from four states were assigned either to the fully facilitated model or to the team study approach. Case studies were prepared for four participants from the Louisiana site, two from the fully facilitated NanoTeach model group and two from the team study NanoTeach group. Data for the case studies included in this article include qualitative and quantitative data regarding the changes in teachers' NS&T knowledge and their ability to teach the content using the effective strategies included in the professional development sessions and resource materials. The case studies provide new insights into the ways teachers' integrated NS&T in the high school curriculum.

A Scoping Review: Scoping Review: Appropriate Big Ideas of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology to Teach in Chemistry for Secondary School

“…The NanoTeach provide two weeks of professional development through face-to-face and online interactions, as well as peer group discussions among the teacher, and then these teachers were required to teach any nanoscience concepts and nanotechnology to their students by incorporating it into either Biology, Chemistry, or Physics according to their timeline. Huffman et al (2015) study also revealed that after the course, teachers wanted to learn more about the nanoscience concept than pedagogy knowledge from the DESI framework questionnaire which is also consistent with Mandrikas et al (2021) study which had demonstrate that teachers need more instructional knowledge to teach nanotechnology when they were implementing a 5E TLS designed community of learning consisted of experienced in-service teacher, science education researchers, scientists and museum experts for 9 months in primary schools.…”

“…In contrast, Mandrikas et al (2021) and Laszcz and Dalvi (2021) studies found that most teachers who participated in implementing their TLS on nanotechnology applications reported that they need more instructional knowledge on teaching nanotechnology. This finding highlights the importance of providing additional nanotechnology workshops for educators and teachers to avoid student misconceptions, such as those held by Huffman et al (2015) with NanoTeach, Quirola et al (2018), andStevens et al (2007) as most teachers were trained before the inclusion of nanotechnology in secondary school curricula.…”

“…One suggested the reason why it was not recommended that all nine big ideas be taught in secondary schools is due to students' limited capabilities to understand the concepts introduced to understand nanoscience. Blonder & Sakhini (2012), Huffman et al (2015), Laszcz and Dalvi (2021) and Sgouros et al ( 2019) have agreed that while nanotechnology might encourage students to learn science, most topics are too complex for them to grasp. Furthermore, MER requires that scientific concept clarification examine the constraints of scientific theories and concepts and consider whether ideas or terms might impede learning thus they must undergo a critical review of their significance for students' conceptions and learning.…”

“…In this article, they collected teachers' responses during the designation of the didactic proposal and discovered that most teachers involved in this project lack knowledge of nanoscience and nanotechnology as most of them were trained before nanotechnology was included in the science teachers' educational programs. The second article by Huffman et al(2015) explores the effectiveness of NanoTeach to train teachers to integrate NST content into their classes through case studies analysis revealed that teachers who participated in this program had demonstrated 60-75% mastery level from a field test results after participating in the course. The NanoTeach provide two weeks of professional development through face-to-face and online interactions, as well as peer group discussions among the teacher, and then these teachers were required to teach any nanoscience concepts and nanotechnology to their students by incorporating it into either Biology, Chemistry, or Physics according to their timeline.…”