Wind farms
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Wind Farms are power stations that run on wind power. Wind turns the blades of the wind turbine. This movement is used to generate electrical power. Some people think that wind farms are a good idea. Some people don't want them to get built.
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- science cannot answer all questions.
- people have different opinions about environmental issues, depending on what they value, and how well they understand the science involved.
| Y6 (03/2010) | Y8 (03/2010) | Y10 (03/2010) | |||
| a) |
i)
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Yes Gives an explanation that identifies that wind farms produce less (air) pollution. or Links to not having to use gas-fired power stations. |
very easy easy
|
very easy easy
|
very easy easy
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| ii) |
No Gives an explanation that identifies that wind farms cause visual pollution/ are unsightly. or Links to Pita not liking the look of wind farms/ they spoil nature. |
easy moderate |
very easy easy |
very easy easy |
|
| iii) |
No Gives an explanation that links to increased wind. or Identifies the tone of the comment (sounds angry, the use of the exclamation mark, etc.). |
easy moderate |
easy moderate |
very easy easy |
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| iv) |
Can't tell Gives an explanation that identifies that Maia is pointing out a disadvantage of wind farms, but that is not enough evidence to decide whether, overall, she is for or against wind farms. |
difficult very difficult |
difficult difficult |
moderate moderate |
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| b) |
i) ii) |
Fred Wind farms do not produce wind |
very difficult very difficult |
moderate difficult |
easy moderate |
Based on a representative sample of 112 year 6, 143 year 8 and 299 year 10 students
Background information
To contribute to debates about socio-scientific issues, we need to be able to listen to others' opinions and gain a sense of their concerns and perspectives. What do they think, and why do they think that? It is important to do this before we begin to critique their ideas. Often people's perspectives are influenced not only by their science understandings, but also by what they value.
Electrical power generation is a useful context for exploring people's opinions, because a whole range of scientific, environmental, economic and aesthetic factors need to be considered. Most people expect their electricity supply to be reliable and financially viable, but they have a range of concerns about how its generation impacts on their life style and the environment, now and in the future.
The key ideas that are covered in the task are shown in the table below.
| Nature of science idea | Science knowledge |
Participating and contributing:
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Physical world concepts:
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Nature of Science: identifying perspectives
Deciding perspectives
The trial students used mainly two different strategies to justify whether they thought each person agreed or not with wind farms.
Strategy 1: citing evidence from the given statement:
- Because he said we don't have to use gas-fired power stations [Year 6]
- He doesn't like the idea because he thinks it will make more wind and it's already windy enough. [Year 8]
- She thinks it will ruin the natural beauty of the hills. [Year 10]
Strategy 2: identifying the big idea from the statement:
- Because gas pollutes the air [Year 6]
- Gas-fired power stations let out smoke I think. [Year 8]
- She likes scenery. [Year 8]
- You don't have to use gas-fired power stations which consume un-renewable resources. [Year 10]
A few students referred to the tone of the comment (especially in the case of Fred).
- He is angry. [Year 6]
The "Can't tell" option
Maia's statement was the most difficult for students to categorise, with many not showing an awareness that identifying a potential problem does not necessarily mean that she was totally against wind farms. Of those who did choose Can't tell many struggled to explain why.
The following are examples of student responses that do capture the essence of Maia's statement:
- You can't tell because she said we can't get all our power from wind and she may think we can get some though. [Year 6]
- She only stated something, she didn't give her opinion. [Year 8]
- They aren't against it; just say it will only be effective some of the time. [Year 10]
- She says that you can't get power from them all the time, but not if she likes them or not. [Year 10]
- She's just making a statement. She's not saying "no", just "they won't work if there's no wind". [Year 10]
- She is justifying points about only using wind farms. [Year 10]
- They may support it, but they don't want to rely on it. [Year 10]
Critiquing the statements
For Question a) some students critiqued what each person said, rather than identifying their perspective. They interpreted Yes, No or Can't tell as whether or not they agreed with the statement.
Pita
No, the wind mills actually save the environment not destroy it. [Year 8]
No, because windmills are quite beautiful. [Year 8]
No, I think they look cool. [Year 10]
Fred
No, that is not true. [Year 6]
No. He's an idiot. [Year 8]
Can't tell, I don't live near them. [Year 10]
Maia
No, because up high it is always windy. [Year 6]
Yes, we need two types for things like this. [Year 10]
Question b) did require an element of critique from students. Their explanations for their choice of person who had a misunderstanding about wind farms (not all students explained their answer) showed some interesting patterns.
- Those who chose Fred were clear about the science – wind mills do not make wind.
- Those who chose Pita used a values argument – they either disagreed that wind farms were ugly, or they thought that having electricity when you need it is a more important consideration.
- Those who chose Maia often picked up on her ambivalence (even when they didn't use the Can't tell option), some stating that she was “confused” rather than she was putting forward a potential short coming.
- The pattern for John was less clear cut, but those who chose him often didn't appear to understand what a gas fired power station is. One student pointed out that we might still need the gas-fired stations as well, indicating an understanding of wind not being a reliable energy source.
There is evidence from their responses that some students possibly had difficulty interpreting the word misunderstanding.
Science concepts: wind powered electricity generation
As students got older they were increasingly able to incorporate science concepts into their explanations. For example:
- At Years 6 and 8 about a quarter identified that wind mills don’t make wind, increasing to about half at Year 10.
- A few students clearly showed a sense that wind farms need to be supplemented by other forms of power generation because electricity is only produced when the wind blows.
- Some students demonstrated that they understood gas-fired power stations cause pollution, although not all described what sort of pollution. In doing so, a few exposed a misconception that gas-fired power stations contribute to the hole in the ozone layer (rather than global warming/ climate change).
- A few used a conservation argument: We don’t have to be using the gas-fired stations, which will save gas. [Year 10]
- Some students were possibly not aware of some alternatives for producing electricity. For example, a few either stated that they didn’t know what gas-fired power stations are, or their answers suggested that they weren’t familiar with them.
- Although the task didn’t specifically ask for students to use concepts of reliable and (non-) renewable power generation, the few who did incorporate them into their explanations generally showed an understanding that decision-making is a process of weighing up advantages and disadvantages.
To promote the idea that there can be competing priorities and concerns when considering an issue, students can place peoples' comments (and their own perspectives) on a continuum (totally for to totally against) giving reasons for the position they have chosen. They could place different comments at different points of the continuum and then work towards developing an “on balance” response. PMI charts could be useful for organising points for and against.
Encourage the use of Can't tell during class discussions so students learn that this is a viable option, and is different from the student not being able to supply the "correct" answer. Encourage them to think about what further information they might need to:
- Identify a person's perspective; or
- Decide on their own perspective. When engaging in science issues, students should be encouraged to check both their own science knowledge and assumptions apparent in others' arguments.
They could generate a short check list for self- and peer-assessment. For example:
- Which parts of my science understandings do I need to check?
- Is what I think backed up by science?
- How can I check my understandings?
- Applications: Shirley Cormack (2002). Power to the People. Wellington: Learning Media. This title explores geothermal power, particularly from a Māori perspective. It includes a Plus Minus analysis.
- Connected 3, 1998: An article, The Power of Rubbish (Pat Quinn), is about generating electricity from methane gas from landfills.