Although she ultimately felt that energy was real, this statement is correct in terms of
focus on transfers. It is also consistent with a subliminal awareness of exergy ideas
(Ogborn, 1986).
Many teachers gave definitions of energy appropriate to KS3 suggesting energy was some
agent that allowed things to happen or be done. This was expressed variably as:
◊ the thing that let’s you do stuff (T10);
◊ energy is something that can go on and do something (T15);
◊ the ability to be able to do something (T3, T4);
◊ you wanna do something, you need energy (T32);
◊ something or someone that’s got a lot of energy does a lot (T4);
◊ “it” makes something else happen (T1, T27, T33’s SoW, T5: weird and
wonderful thing that …);
◊ makes things work (T17).
These will be criticised in the summary. T27 defined energy, to include the forms as:
A vast array of different things.
T10 commented that he was rarely asked what energy was by pupils. Often pupils would
want a one word answer and not a ten minute monologue.