Concept maps as a teaching and learning strategy: Classification of energy

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Concept maps as a teaching and learning strategy: Classification of energy

Patrick Blessinger

Energy is a property of matter and electromagnetic radiation. It underlies much of what students learn in science. Accordingly, the Classification of Energy concept map can be an effective teaching aid to deepen students’ knowledge of this core science concept. The map provides an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to understanding energy in its diverse forms and applications across science.

In physics, energy is the “currency” of the universe. Just like money is the medium to facilitate economic transactions, energy is the medium through which physical processes occur. Every physical process in the universe, from the motion of planets to the biological functions of living organisms, involves the transformation and transfer of energy. It explains how forces work and how objects move—from micro-scales to macro-scales. Energy explains the laws of motion, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism.

Work is performed when energy is transferred from one particle (micro), object (meso), or system (macro) to another. When a force causes an object to change its velocity, energy is transferred to the object; that is, its kinetic energy changes.

In chemistry, energy explains how chemical reactions work—from bonding to kinetics to thermodynamics—as well as the principles that control the quantum behavior of atoms. In biology, energy explains how living organisms function—from photosynthesis to cellular respiration to evolution. Energy is the central thread that weaves through natural science, providing a unifying principle that helps explain various physical phenomena across scientific disciplines.

Energy and Force

A force is an interaction between two or more objects that brings a change to the state of motion of at least one of the objects. It's often described as a push or pull on an object. Forces can cause objects to start moving, stop moving, change direction, or change their speed. Forces can be contact forces—one object colliding into another—or non-contact forces—a force field.

According to the laws of motion described by Sir Isaac Newton, a force is a vector quantity that has both magnitude and direction. Force can describe anything from micro-interactions like electromagnetism or macro-interactions like gravity. Forces underlie many physical phenomena. Although forces are not conserved like energy, momentum (p = mv) is conserved in a closed or isolated system (Serway & Jewett, 2018).

Energy is a more abstract concept than force. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz laid the foundation for the modern concept of energy with his work on "vis viva" now known as kinetic energy. Leibniz postulated that there is something called energy that is conserved within a closed or isolated system. Energy is, like force, one of the basic concepts applied in the description of interactions of objects. Unlike force, however, energy is a scalar magnitude without direction (Goldstein, et al., 2002).

Hence, energy is the more general and unifying concept. It helps us understand phenomena across the whole of science. Force and energy are fundamentally essential to understanding science but the former has been established as more versatile and universal in its application across all scientific disciplines. (Serway & Jewett, 2018).

Importance of Energy in Science

One of the most fundamental ideas in physics, chemistry, and biology is that energy is the ability of matter or electromagnetism to do work. Many physical phenomena boil down to this concise concept. Mechanics, fields, and thermodynamics all describe the forms of energy and how they change. Physical laws that specify how energy is transformed and transferred make it possible to understand such diverse processes as mechanical work, chemical reactions, and biological processes and how they relate to each other.

At the heart of the study of chemistry is energy, especially thermal energy. Interactions of matter and energy account for the different ways substances change and their behaviors. Energy is also at the core of biology. It explains what living things do, how they grow, and how they interact with their surroundings. Energy transformation and tansfer, therefore, underlies all biological processes, from metabolism and photosynthesis to cellular respiration.?

Energy is the most pervasive and unifying concept. For instance, the law of conservation of energy applies in physics, chemistry, and biology. The principles of energy have wide-ranging applications for scientists and engineers who wish to create, for instance, new inventions, improve the efficiency of machines, build new power sources, and develop more sustainable ways to solve the huge global problems associated with climate change and non-renewable resource depletion (Serway & Jewett, 2018).

Energy is one of the central themes that threads all of science together. For example, it flows through environmental science from a focus on the flow of energy in ecosystems to underpin investigations of food webs and humans' impact on the environment. Energy is the central component in medicine, from interpreting the human body's operations to the way medical imaging works.

Energy’s Relationship to Force

There are many uses for energy. Energy applies to all physical processes. Energy allows for great flexibility in quantitative analysis. Changes in energy generally lead to quantitative solutions for many problems, and the energy concept proves useful for physics, chemistry, and biology from the atomic through the cosmic scales. Energy, work, and force are related in that force facilitates energy transfer from one object to another by performing work on objects (ΔKE = W = F x d). The energy transfer changes the object's kinetic and potential energies.

Newton's First Law of Motion, the law of inertia, states that an object in motion will remain in motion, and an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. If no external force acts on an object, its kinetic energy will remain constant if it is in motion, or its potential energy will remain constant if its position in a field does not change (Young & Freedman, 2019).

The law of acceleration—Newton's Second Law of Motion—states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass (F = ma). This law explains how forces cause changes in the motion of objects. This can lead to a change in an object's kinetic energy since kinetic energy is directly related to an object's velocity (KE = 1/2 mv^2). When a force is applied to an object, causing it to move, work is done, and energy is transferred. The work-energy theorem (W = ΔKE) states that the net work done on an object is equal to its change in kinetic energy (Young & Freedman, 2019).

Newton's Third Law of Motion, the law of action-reaction, states that if one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force back on the first object. This law describes the interaction of forces between two objects, while the conservation of energy law explains how energy is transformed and transferred between the objects (Young & Freedman, 2019).

Interaction of Energy and Matter:

Energy and matter are linked. Their interactions determine many of the physical processes that occur in the universe. Among the many ways that energy interacts with matter is through energy transfer, such as heat or light. For example, when radiant energy from sunlight hits a surface, the matter in that surface will absorb the energy and warm up, causing the molecules on the surface to speed up, resulting in energy transfer. In this example, there is also a transformation of one form of energy, radiant energy, into another form, the thermal energy of the matter (Tipler & Mosca, (2007).

Another instance is through energy absorption or release as in chemical reactions. Here, energy transformation and transfer in molecular bonding occur when these bonds break and are reconstituted into new bonds. This is very important in processes like photosynthesis in plants and combustion of fuels.

Energy interacts with matter in the form of mechanical work. When a force is applied to an object, it causes the object to move or change position, producing mechanical work. This process involves the transfer of energy from the source of the force to the object. The work-energy theorem is central to understanding mechanical systems and the behavior of objects under the influence of forces. (Young & Freedman, 2019).

Energy interacts with matter at both atomic and subatomic levels through electromagnetic forces. Photons, packets of electromagnetic energy, interact with electrons in atoms, causing electrons to jump to more energetic levels or even be ejected from the atom. This forms the basis of much technology, from solar cells to what underlies quantum mechanics (Griffiths, (2017).

Applications in Education

The concept map could be used as a tool to show energy concepts during instruction. The teacher could point to different places on the map as he/she speaks, showing the students the different forms of energy, what they are called, and how they relate to other science principles and phenomena.

In this way, it will help students visualize abstract concepts and improve their understanding through repetition and clarity of examples. By working systematically through the map, the teacher creates a more grounded understanding of foundational concepts.

The concept map can be integrated into the instructional process, making note-taking more structured and beneficial. Students can follow the teacher as he/she teaches, and they can use the concept map as a scaffold to build their notes. This aids in retaining and recalling the information later (Blessinger, 2020).

The map provides a visual representation, thus supporting cognitive processes so that the students may link new knowledge to the prior knowledge in their minds. The approach is valuable, especially in subjects like physics and chemistry, where one needs to understand how concepts like energy relate to other science principles (Novak & Ca?as, 2008).

The concept map should also be used in active learning strategies that make students work and discuss the content collaboratively. For instance, teachers can have the students work in small groups to look at individual segments of the map, discuss their findings, and present their findings to the class.

This teaching mechanism helps students express complex ideas in an easier way. Moreover, with active participation in the learning process, students are in a better position to remember the information and develop more rigorous critical thinking skills.

Active learning enables students to create their own representations of concept mapping. This helps comprehension because students must analyze and synthesize information to portray it in a way that makes sense to them. This would also increase the students’ sense of ownership of the learning process and increase the student's level of success in understanding and applying energy-related concepts.

Formative assessments, like quizzes and especially hands-on activities like labs and projects are powerful ways for students to demonstrate their mastery of the information. Interactive simulations, virtual labs, or online tools that explore energy concepts in more depth can also be powerful teaching-learning techniques (Prince, 2004).

Conclusion

The Classification of Energy concept map is a resource for teaching introductory physics or physical science because it clearly explains fundamental energy concepts like potential and kinetic energy, making them relatable to real-world examples. It integrates physics, chemistry, and biology, helping students see connections across scientific disciplines.

It includes essential energy formulas, aiding in theoretical understanding and practical problem-solving. The concept map organizes core information, enhancing comprehension and retention visually. It simplifies complex ideas without losing essential details, striking a balance ideal for beginners. Overall, it helps build a strong foundation in energy concepts.

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References

Blessinger, P. (2020).?Making sense of pedagogy. Higher Education Tomorrow. Volume 7, Article 3. https://www.patrickblessinger.com/making-sense-of-pedagogy

Goldstein, H., Poole, C. P., & Safko, J. L. (2002). Classical Mechanics (3rd ed.). Addison-Wesley.

Griffiths, D. J. (2017). Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Novak, J. D., & Ca?as, A. J. (2008). The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them. Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.

Prince, M. (2004). Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3), 223-231.

Serway, R. A., & Jewett, J. W. (2018). Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Tipler, P. A., & Mosca, G. (2007). Physics for Scientists and Engineers (6th ed.). W.H. Freeman and Company.

Young, H. D., & Freedman, R. A. (2019). University Physics with Modern Physics (15th ed.). Pearson.

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Patrick Blessinger is a lecturer of education at SUNY (Old Westbury), a STEM teacher with NYSED, and chief research scientist for the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association or HETL.

Copyright ? [2024] Patrick Blessinger

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position(s) of other professionals or any institution.