What is the most effective trajectory of learning for the development of concepts of size and scale?

BACKGROUND
From monsters to mice people have always had a fascination with the extremes of sizes. The size of an organism down to even a single cell has limits to size.  Could King Kong really exist? Or would his legs buckle under his own weight? This This research examines how people learn about size and scale from the very small (nano) to the very large (cosmic).  Scale is one of the major themes that cuts across all the science domains and unifies the study of science.  New tools in science allow us to explore unknown worlds in distant space as well as to experiment with building materials atom by atom at the nanoscale. We are researching how people of different ages conceptualize scale as well as the instructional experiences that are most effective in teaching scale.  Studies include elementary, middle, high school, college students, as well as scientists.  One aspect of this research involves examining how people in the community such as artists, carpenters, engineers, and meteorologists apply scale in their work.

GOAL
The goal of this research is to outline the trajectory of experiences and knowledge that are necessary for the development of an understanding of scale. Understanding scale is critical for students to be scientifically literate and for understanding the new advancements being made in science at very large and very small scales.

PROGRESS
Current studies include a cross cultural comparison of Taiwan and United States teachers’ concepts of scale, as well as exploring how students understand how concepts of surface area to volume influence limit size and physiological processes in biological organisms.

FUTURE
Future studies include examining how students use body benchmarks as tools for estimating linear size and how zooming contributes to an understanding of continuous size.

“I'm fascinated by very tiny things and the idea that there is a whole world at the  nanoscale that I cannot see.” Middle School Student