A Teaching Learning Sequence to Enhance Scientific Literacy: How to (Effectively) Teach the Physical Bases of the Greenhouse Effect and of Climate Change

This thesis present the research and design of a Teaching-Learning Sequence (TLS) in the field of Climate Education. The purpose of the sequence is to improve students’ understanding of the physical basis of the greenhouse effect and climate change, with a special focus on civic scientific education. The framework for this research has been the DREM (Design and Re-design Model to Enhance understanding and learning), which incorporates and integrates elements from Besson’s 3D approach, the MER model (of Educational Recostruction) and the iterative process typical of the Design-Based Research (DBR). A critical analysis of textbooks used in Italian high schools is presented. This analysis aims to identify key concepts to be taught, and possible misconceptions related to the greenhouse effect. The results obtained were useful for the ‘elementarization’ phase of DREM, allowing the identification of fundamental concepts to be taught to students and the areas where more in-depth studies are needed. Next, students’ difficulties and misconceptions about the greenhouse effect were explored through a qualitative and quantitative analysis of drawings produced by them. In addition, it was shown that visual representations in textbooks and online resources influence students’ conceptions. These findings guided the ‘teaching and learning research’ phase of DREM, allowing TLS to be modified to address the conceptual difficulties that emerged. An overview of TLSs on GHE developed over the past 15 years is then presented, highlighting their evolution and how different design choices have affected them. Previous versions of the TLS have proven to be a starting point for redesign, and their analysis makes it possible to determine which aspects should be given more attention in the redesign, so that the TLS is more effective and suitable for students’ needs. Finally, the redesign of the last TLS, based on the results of previous analyses, is described in detail. The new version of the sequence was designed with a set of quantitative and qualitative experiments, allowing students to progressively build a physical model of the greenhouse effect. Learning was made active and engaging through the use of tools such as one’s own cell phone (BYOD approach), thermal cameras, and self-made spectrometers. The results of the experimentation carried out are then presented, although still only qualitative (given the limited sample number).