AC 2007-1686: INCORPORATING NANOSCALE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CONCEPTS INTO MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULA

This study is a first step in the investigation of the issues involved with incorporating nanoscale phenomena concepts in the middle- and high-school curricula. During a two-week summer workshop held by the National Center for Learning and Teaching Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NCLT) at Purdue University, lessons and activities on nanoscale phenomena as well as suggestions for incorporation into curricula and the relationship of these activities to both National and Indiana State Standards were presented and discussed. At the completion of the experience, the twelve participating teachers created lesson plans that they intended to use in their classrooms as a result of their experiences at the workshop. The lesson plans were collected and serve as the qualitative data contributing to this study. They allow for an in-depth exploration of where and how nanoscale phenomena concepts can be incorporated into current middle- and high-school curricula. Analysis of the data reveals difficulties in this incorporation and guides further development of the NCLT professional development experience. Background As the impetus for teaching nanoscale phenomena in middle- and high-school classroom