Inquire learning effects to elementary school students’ nanotechnology instructions

Conclusion

Nanometer is microcosmic world, it is difficult to observe and understand for elementary students. In this research, while teacher applied expositive-teaching, students where having difficulties in understanding the abstract form, on the other hand, when the same teacher applied experiential-teaching, it offered a tangible model and provided a hand-on experience, through this way, students can construct a more concrete knowledge, further able to apply the concept to their daily life.

In experiential-teaching, different hand-on materials offered various kinds of experience to become different results. From concept of lotus effect, students’ leaning experience through observed directly and compared different conditions between "water slides" or "water rolls" on different surfaces, understood the lotus effect of superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning, further recognized many nanotechnology products on the market that have applied lotus effect. By actual objects, students could operate and observe themselves, and so they held more complete concepts and can explained to anthers about this phenomenon.

Analyze students’ learning process in concepts of Nanoparticles and Carbon-Nanocapsule. The students were unfamiliar with Carbon-Nanocapsule (C₆₀) and could not understand it is constructed by 60 nanoparticles in the form of pentagons & hexagons. The teacher guided students through constructed buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀), further illustrated clearly the relations between Nanoparticles and Carbon-Nanocapsule. Established a simulated model allowed students facilitate learning, students also realized the structure of Carbon-Nanocapsule, but they were having difficulties in merging the Carbon-Nanocapsule and the physical object together, therefore, they somewhat had a vague concept.

In concept of Nanotubes, teacher applied basic C₆₀ atomic structure, asked students to fabricate C₂₀, C₈₀ and C₁₂₀ atomic structure according to the characteristics of buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀), further described pattern and property of Nanotubes, and how it can applied to future life. By applying a simulated model to explain another simulated model, although students understood an advantages of using Nanotubes. Nevertheless, students needed imagination to construct a concept, so they were difficult to understand the arrangement of Nanotubes and how it can be constructed as an object. Consequently, students had misconceptions.

Student’s cognitive development in elementary school belonged to “concrete operational stage” or “formal operational stage” (By Piaget’s cognitive-developmental theory), because nanometer is microcosmic and it is unable to observe by sense organs, so students were difficult to understand it. In this research, teacher used experiential-teaching, this offered experiential learning opportunities and also improved learning effect for students.

In experiential-teaching, different hand-on materials had different learning influences. The actual objects teaching method (e.g. concept of lotus effect), students held more complete concepts through hands-on operation and observed directly. In simulated model teaching (e.g. concept of Nanoparticles and Carbon-Nanocapsule), it facilitated study and assisted students in understanding object’s structure, but students somewhat had vague concepts. Applied a simulated model to explain another simulated model (e.g. concept of Nanotubes), students were difficult to imagine object’s structure and held some misconceptions. Therefore, before teachers conduct teaching, they should consider students’ cognitive development and select a suitable teaching method.

Recommendations

Science education have deep influence to the country and society, because nanotechnology is closely related to our daily lives, so Taiwanese government had been invested large number in human and financial resources on nanotechnology field. For improving nanotechnology industry, and allowing students to learn about nanotechnology and the application of the technology, it became a major issue in Taiwan.

The Taiwanese elementary school science education objective is: By using science curriculum and teaching design to activate students’ motivation, interest and allowing students to use the science concept in their future daily lives. Therefore, a complete teaching method needs to have a better curriculum design, by combining students’ experience and suitable teaching activities; this can further communicate science concept, and allowing students to apply into their daily lives. Nanotechnology is a cross-field emerging science, nanometer is a microscopic, amazing, hard to imagine world, although nanometer phenomenon appears in our daily lives. In Taiwan, the elementary school curriculum hardly apply nanotechnology in the official curriculum at present.

In order to allow students have more complete concept of nanotechnology, nanotechnology cognition and literacy. Educators must aware the importance of combining education with nanotechnology. For applying the nanotechnology to the whole nation’s education, we must apply carefully through a complete course design and activities. If the complete course and activities can activate students’ interest, then it can achieve the nanotechnology concept learning goal.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Science Council of Taiwan under Grant (NSC99-2120-S-002-002-NM). Thanks to the professors participated, established content and verified consistency of NSQ in this research. Appreciation to the fifth grade students for assisted this research in New Taipei City.