A more ‘efficient’ approach to energy teaching

Whereas there are various cogent reasons for teaching about energy in secondary schools, it is still a matter of lively discussion as to how to introduce a energy education into existing curricula and how to implement it in the classroom. This paper will deal with an approach to the theme, proposed in recent years in Italy, which emphasizes the role of school physics as a powerful tool for pupils’ better understanding of ‘energy’. Study of efficient energy use, concepts such as energy availability and second‐law efficiency‐‐hardly mentioned in current secondary‐school teaching‐play a key role. How the new approach has been developed, the curriculum materials, and findings about their application in classroom contexts will be reviewed.