The Role of Playing in the Representation of the Concept of Energy: a Lab Experience for Future Primary School Teachers

Energy, particularly in introductory physics at primary school level, is of-ten taught in terms of list of different “forms of energy” and seldom as a uni-fying concept underlying many aspects of the world. However, the “sub-stance” ontology for energy seems to be particularly productive in develop-ing understanding of energy and energy transfers. From a methodological point of view, narratives and forms of “playing” are valuable and significant representations that allow learning scientific concepts. Through a physical experience, in the form of role play, we help to develop the concept of ener-gy flow/current and storage. In this contribution, we propose a laboratory activity in which future primary school teachers represent the process of energy exchange among energy carriers. The participants are required to study a simple toy, finding the energy carriers, and the role of each of them; additionally, they have to write a story, with as many characters as the ener-gy carriers, telling how they exchange energy in the parts of the toy. Energy conservation and heat production are perceivable in the act of exchanging confetti which represent energy. The role play helps the participants to vis-ualize the energy as a substance, even though it is imperceptible. The analy-sis of the students’ role plays and the information collected from question-naires give feedback about students’ conceptualization of some of the most significant aspects of energy.