Closing the Clean Energy Knowledge Gap
in your Community
Closing the Clean Energy Knowledge Gap Case Study
THE CLEAN ENERGY KNOWLEDGE GAP
A knowledge gap exists in our schools, where the next generation of energy consumers are learning and developing their lifelong habits. The long-term viability, growth, and development of grid modernization and the future of energy consumer behavior hinges on one major target for the utility industry—youth. Yet, barriers exist at the school level to activate this important segment. Opening up this community hub to be a successful conduit of clean energy information and long-term adoption needs innovative strategies.
To dig under this knowledge gap, NTC surveyed its Professional Educator Network (PEN) cohort to gather additional data on what teachers know and teach about clean energy resources and the energy transition. The PEN cohort is a group of almost 5,000 educators from across the country who have participated in NTC school programs and have opted in to provide ongoing feedback. 144 teachers completed the survey, providing 3,004 years of collective teaching experience that shed light on the stark contrast between utilities’ assumptions about the general public’s energy literacy toward the future and what is actually in practice today.
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Tools for Teaching the Next Generation
about Clean Energy:
NTC’s Electrification Nation Graphic Novel
Designing educational materials for grades K-12 that are memorable and relatable is a key strategy in engaging youth in the clean energy transition. The Electrification Nation graphic novel is a take-home print piece designed to inspire energy conservation in the home and empower the next generation to help define a clean energy future.
Closing the knowledge gap means showing the many sides of beneficial electrification to get residential customers behind the clean energy transition. The Electrification Nation graphic novel is a relatable and entertaining print product that not only defines beneficial electrification, but also shows its uses in everyday life. By being both relatable and memorable, the graphic novel is a creative way to educate young people and their families on the meaning and uses of beneficial electrification and inspire good energy habits in the home.
Electrification Nation is aligned with state and national standards and through an engaging story focuses on several key concepts for Grades 3-5 and covers key education points, including:
- How electricity is generated
- What clean energy is
- What a carbon footprint is
- What families and communities can do to conserve energy
Click here for more about the Electrification Nation graphic novel and look at sample pages.
Energy Customers and Solar Programs: What’s to Know?
Solar program options are growing, but beyond solar panel installation for homeowners, the majority of energy customers are not aware of the solar programs their energy company offers. Addressing this knowledge gap, so energy customers can have more information and proof to grow their trust in available solar options is necessary to increase adoption rates. Education outreach that meets the knowledge gap challenge is necessary in closing it. NTC has developed geo-specific, customizable programs that use multiple outreach strategies to help close the gap.
Theatre as a Teaching Tool:
Teacher Comments Backed Up by Research
The verdict is in!
Teachers from across Illinois, Missouri, South Carolina and Idaho who have received the Land of Smiles educational outreach program sponsored by Delta Dental and presented by The National Theatre for Children have responded with high praise.
Here are a few snippets of teacher comments:
“Much better than a lecture.”
“It was a fun way to get the students engaged and learning about how to take care of their teeth.”
“The presenters were very engaging and entertaining. All of the children were focused and definitely remember the importance of proper dental hygiene.”
“This program was phenomenal!! The students were highly engaged and enjoyed learning about teeth and dental care in such a lively and fun way.”
Teachers, of course, are not wrong.
Their praise of Land of Smiles, which uses theatre and storytelling as teaching tools, play out in multiple studies on the human brain, especially when it comes to retention.
20 years of research have found: The human brain is about 22 times more likely to remember facts that are presented in the form of a story, than if those facts are just presented outright.
22 times more!
That’s more than significant. It’s amazing.
When humans are simply told information as a list of facts, they retain only about 5-10 percent of it. Hence, we are always saying, “let me refer back to my notes” or “let me write that down so I remember it.” Yet, humans will remember 65-70 percent of a story. No notes or writing it down necessary. It’s how our brains work.
This also holds true with retention over time. As humans, we remember stories longer than we remember simple facts and figures. If you can embed those simple facts into a story, you have a powerful teaching tool.
The appeal of a story to connect to our human brains not only with information but with emotion as well, makes it memorable and meaningful for those engaged with the story. This connection also makes a longer lasting impression. It is why story-based learning, especially when trying to instill behavior change, is such a highly effective tool.
As organizational psychologist and leading storytelling expert, Dr. Peg C. Neuhauser puts it:
“…stories allow a person to feel and see the information as well as factually understand it … because you ‘hear’ the information factually, visually, and emotionally it is more likely to be imprinted on your brain in a way that it sticks with you longer with very little effort on your part…”
That part about “very little effort” is where, as a teaching tool, storytelling goes beyond just another method of relaying information. It becomes powerful. Learning through story doesn’t feel like learning, even though it enhances understanding, comprehension, and retention.
When the audience of school-age children watch Land of Smiles, they are not excited and engaged because they are learning how to properly brush and floss their teeth. They are engaged by the characters, plot, humor, costumes, props, and dialogue that is woven into the story that is unfolding in front of them. But, funny enough, they also learn the importance of good oral health and how to properly brush and floss their teeth. They also remember those things longer than if they were just told those same things in a lecture. In fact, as already stated, 22 times more. All with very little effort on their part.
This is all to say that the verdict is indeed in. Backed up by teacher feedback. Backed up by studies of the human brain. Backed up by leading researchers and experts. Learning through story works.
Learn more about building your own clean energy education
outreach program with NTC
Reach out to Nikki Swoboda, our Director of Marketing, to build a customized program that will engage your community about their clean energy options.
NIKKI SWOBODA
Director of Marketing
Nswoboda@ntccorporate.com
218-310-5368