Tricky Energy Terminology
I was recently reading the September/October 2021 issue of \u201cScience & Children\u201d a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.\xa0\xa0In this issue, I read the section \u201cScience 101\u201d written by Matt Bobrowsky.\xa0 Matt wrote an article entitled \u201cWhat is Energy?\u201d
Energy is one of those scientific terms that is commonly used outside of science and outside of the classroom with a variety of colloquial meanings.\xa0 This is another case where students don\u2019t enter the classroom as blank slates but come with preconceptions about what energy means.\xa0 It\u2019s a good idea to first find out what your students already think energy is, and then later they can compare their original ideas with what we know about it from scientists.