Elementary Science
Unit 3:
Using explanations as a
teaching strategy: life processes
Teacher Education
through School-based
Support in India
www.TESS-India.edu.in
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
The TESS-India project (Teacher Education through School-based Support) aims to improve
the classroom practices of elementary and secondary teachers in India through studentcentred and activity-based approaches. This has been realised through 105 teacher
development units (TDUs) available online and downloaded in printed form.
Teachers are encouraged to read the whole TDU and try out the activities in their classroom
in order to maximise their learning and enhance their practice. The TDUs are written in a
supportive manner, with a narrative that helps to establish the context and principles that
underpin the activities. The activities are written for the teacher rather than the student,
acting as a companion to textbooks.
TESS-India TDUs were co-written by Indian authors and UK subject leads to address Indian
curriculum and pedagogic targets and contexts. Originally written in English, the TDUs have
then been localised to ensure that they have relevance and resonance in each participating
Indian state’s context.
TESS-India is led by The Open University and funded by UKAID from the Department for
International Development.
Version 1.0
Except for third party materials and otherwise stated, this content is made available under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/
Contents
Introduction
1
Learning outcomes
2
1
What makes an explanation good?
3
2
Identifying different learning styles
4
3
Engaging different learning styles through lesson
planning
9
4
Taking learning outside
11
5
Summary
12
6
Resources
13
Resource 1: Lesson plan A
Resource 2: Further reading
13
16
Related units
17
7
References
18
Acknowledgements
19
Introduction
Introduction
Explanations are integral to the learning process and can be used as an
effective elementary science teaching strategy when combined with
opportunities for student activity.
Effective explanations involve the following:
.
the use of clear language
.
good teacher subject knowledge delivered in simplified chunks
.
an awareness of what your students already know
.
the use of memorable examples
.
ongoing questioning to check understanding
.
actively engaging all your students.
People process information in different ways. Visual learners have a
preference for reading words and looking at diagrams and images; auditory
learners have a preference for listening; tactile or kinaesthetic learners have a
preference for touch and movement. Small modifications to your
explanations can address each of these learning styles, thereby improving the
educational experience of all your students.
By focusing on ways of explaining aspects of life processes, this unit will
help you deliver information more effectively, which will in turn have a
positive impact on all the students in your class.
Pause for thought
What do you consider to be an engaging teacher explanation?
Think about an effective lesson that you have delivered. What made it
so effective?
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TDU 3
Using explanations as a teaching strategy: life processes
Learning outcomes
After studying this unit, you should be able to:
2
.
explore ways of delivering scientific explanations that engage all the
students in your class
.
understand what is meant by visual, auditory and tactile learning, and
consider how this can be applied to your own teaching.
1 What makes an explanation good?
1 What makes an explanation
good?
As a teacher, you will be required to provide scientific explanations that
engage all of your students. Activity 1 encourages you to start thinking
about how to give engaging explanations that appeal to students with
different styles of learning.
Activity 1: Giving a clear explanation
Imagine that you are going to explain to your students how a muscle in
your arm works. Make brief notes using the five headings below to help
organise your ideas.
1 What is the core information that my students need to know about
this topic?
2 What do they already know?
3 What scientific vocabulary needs to be used? Does this need to
be explained too?
4 How will I make the explanation memorable and engaging?
5 What questions will I ask to check my students’ understanding?
Making brief notes before you deliver a scientific explanation can make
it much more relevant and interesting to your students.
3
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Using explanations as a teaching strategy: life processes
2 Identifying different learning
styles
Earlier you read that people process information in different ways and have
a preference for visual, auditory or tactile learning styles. In the next activity
you will examine the features of these different learning styles, and consider
how you can adapt your teaching to appeal to students with a preference for
one or another of them.
Activity 2: Different ways of learning
Table 1 provides examples of the kinds of activities or inputs that appeal
to people with visual, auditory or tactile learning styles.
Table 1 Activities or inputs that appeal to people with visual, auditory
or tactile learning styles.
Images
Diagrams
Shapes
Painting
Drawing
Sculpture
Listening
Songs
Rhymes
Sound patterns
Chants
Touching
Moving
Gesture
Manipulating objects
Body movement
Pause for thought
.
What is your dominant learning style? How do you learn best?
.
Can you name three students in your class, each of whom
exemplifies one of the above learning styles?
Think back to Activity 1. How would you enhance your explanation of how
a muscle works to appeal to students with any one of these learning styles?
Your ideas need not be complicated; nor should they require any additional
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2 Identifying different learning styles
resources. Jot down some possibilities under each heading: ‘visual learner’,
‘auditory learner’ and ‘tactile learner’.
Some ideas you might have thought of: are shown in Table 2.
Table 2 Using Activity 1 with different learning styles.
Visual learner
Auditory learner
Tactile learner
Workings in pairs, ask
the students to look at
what changes take place
as an arm muscle is
flexed. Get them to show
their partner their arm
muscle. Alternatively, get
them to point at a
diagram or a picture.
Ask the students to
explain to each other
what is happening when
they flex an arm muscle.
Encourage them to use
any relevant scientific
terms.
Ask the students to feel
their arm muscles as
they contract and loosen
them.
You may wish to experiment with grouping your students according to their
learning style during explanations or activities. However, visual, auditory
and tactile learners can work very well together, complementing and
supporting one another in the classroom. It is also important to encourage
students to employ a range of learning styles within the same activity.
Case Study 1: Mrs Roshni plans an explanation
Mrs Roshni is a secondary school science teacher who was concerned
that her classroom explanations were not always very effective. Here
she describes an attempt to make an explanation of the digestive
system more engaging to all her students.
As you read the case study, note down which aspects of Mrs Roshni’s
explanation appeal to visual, auditory and tactile learners.
Before the lesson, I listed the sequence in which I would explain the
different parts of the digestive system and the key scientific vocabulary
that I would be using to do so. I then prepared some simple visual aids
to accompany the explanation. Finally I wrote down some possible
questions that I could ask my students to check their understanding.
I began by asking the students why human beings need to eat, allowing
them a few minutes to discuss this in small groups. As they did so, I
walked around and listened. This helped me to gain a better
understanding of their existing knowledge so that I could pitch my
explanation at the right level.
I summed up what my students had talked about and clarified that food
gives us energy. We then looked at a poster illustrating different types of
food that we had examined in a previous lesson [Figure 1].
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TDU 3
Using explanations as a teaching strategy: life processes
Figure 1 A poster showing different types of food.
I held up a bowl of rice and ask the students to think about how the rice
gives us energy.
Using a diagram of the human digestive system, I explained about the
passage of food through the alimentary canal, from one end to the
other. As I did so, I asked the students the questions I had prepared
earlier, such as ‘What happens to the food in our mouths? Why do we
have teeth? What is the role of the tongue? How does saliva help with
digestion?’. Based on my students’ responses, I built up an explanation
of the digestive process, with reference to the mouth, stomach, liver, gall
bladder, pancreas, the small and the large intestine, the rectum and the
anus.
I explained that food is broken down into simpler components during
this process, leading to its absorption into the bloodstream, which, in
turn, gives us energy.
I used a bicycle tyre and a small ball of clay to demonstrate how the
squeezing of muscles help to move food through the digestive system.
I then distributed copies of a diagram of the digestive system and asked
my students to label its different parts.
I ended the lesson with quiz on the key stages of digestion to assess
what my students had understood and to check whether there were any
gaps in their understanding.
I sensed that my students enjoyed sharing their ideas with each other at
the start of the lesson. By questioning them at intervals, I was able to
adapt my explanation in response to their needs. The use of visual aids,
such as diagrams, provided a valuable complement to the spoken
6
2 Identifying different learning styles
elements of the lesson. Similarly, the demonstration involving the bicycle
tyre and ball of clay gave my students a memorable impression of how
food moves through the body.
Pause for thought
How did Mrs Roshni motivate and engage her students during her
explanation?
What elements of her lesson did you particularly like?
Note down three ways you could you adapt her lesson to accommodate
the different ways students learn.
Here are some ideas:
.
Inviting the students to squeeze the clay through the ‘digestive
system’.
.
Asking students to stick pre-written labels onto the different parts of
the digestive system diagram.
.
Encouraging students to point to or feel where particular organs are
in their own body as you point to the diagram.
.
Getting students to work in groups, with one lying down and the
others using written labels to indicate where their classmate’s organs
are.
.
Inviting students to sequence simple pictures of food moving through
the digestive tract from start to finish.
Comprehensive and continuous evaluation (CCE)
Reversing the role of your students – so that they become ‘the teacher’
– gives them the opportunity to explain a scientific concept or process to
their peers. Students can often explain things extremely skilfully and
imaginatively. However, they can only explain things effectively if they
have fully understood the concept or process themselves. Providing
students with opportunities to explain things to each other therefore has
the additional benefit of enabling you to make ongoing assessments of
their scientific understanding. A simple tick list can help you keep track
of this.
You may wish to encourage your students to use drawings, diagrams
and flow charts to support their explanations.
Some possible questions that you could ask your students to assess
their understanding of life processes through peer explanations are
shown in Table 3. You may be able to think of others relating to different
scientific fields.
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TDU 3
Using explanations as a teaching strategy: life processes
Table 3 Questions that you could ask your students to assess their
understanding of life processes through peer explanations
Younger students
Older students
Explain what your body needs to
stay healthy.
Explain the difference between
respiration and ventilation.
What would happen to your body if
you did not eat?
Explain what is meant by the term
‘gas exchange’ in relation to
respiration.
Explain what happens to your body
when you exercise. Why do these
changes happen?
Why do we need a skeleton?
An alternative to pair or group peer explanations is to ask a volunteer
student to be ‘the teacher’ and get them to explain a recently covered
concept or process to the whole class, using a diagram or the board for
reference.
8
3 Engaging different learning styles through lesson planning
3 Engaging different learning styles
through lesson planning
Activity 3: Improving your lesson planning
Lesson plan A
Read through lesson plan A on plant life cycles. Taking into
consideration what you have learned in this unit so far, list the ways you
would improve the teacher explanation in this lesson plan. What kinds of
changes should you make to actively engage your students? Remember
that small changes can have a big impact on the way that your students
engage with your explanations.
An elementary teacher recently changed the lesson plan on plant life
cycles and used it with her class (see italic text in lesson plan B below).
What small changes did she make to her explanation and what impact
do you think these would have on the students in her class?
Lesson plan B
Review the last lesson. Draw a diagram of the internal parts of a flower
[Figure 2]. Ask the students to work in pairs and tell their partner the
names of the internal plant parts. Ask for volunteers to pick up a label
and place it onto the correct part of the diagram on the board. Check
that the rest of the class agrees.
Figure 2 Internal parts of the flower.
Show students four pictures that represent parts of a plant’s life cycle.
Ask them to discuss the order of the pictures in groups of four. Students
can then use paper and pens to draw the pictures in the order they think
is correct. Ask one or two groups to say the order they think the pictures
should go in. Tell students that the life of a plant starts when the seed
lands on soil, the seed then germinates growing a root followed by a
shoot. At this point, it starts to photosynthesise and grows into a small
plant. The plant continues to grow and develops a flower. The flower is
pollinated by a bee. The pollen fertilises an ovum/egg in the ovary. The
9
TDU 3
Using explanations as a teaching strategy: life processes
flower dies and a seed head forms. The seeds are dispersed in the
wind. Then the life cycle then begins again. Finally, ask for a volunteer
to place the pictures of a plant life cycle in the right order on the board
[Figure 3].
Figure 3 Plant life cycle.
In pairs, ask students to write the definition of germination, pollination,
fertilisation and seed dispersal on strips of paper. These can then be
used for a classroom display.
Comprehensive and continuous evaluation (CCE)
Creating a wall of scientific vocabulary will provide your students with
another opportunity to explain and establish their knowledge.
Arrange your students in pairs or small groups. Hand out cards with
individual words on that relate to your current topic area in elementary
science. Ask your students to take turns to explain what the word on the
card means to their partner or the others in their group. They then agree
on a definition together and write it out underneath the word. Listening
to your students’ definitions will give you an indication of their
understanding and knowledge. The words and their definitions can then
be displayed and referred to as the topic progresses.
10
4 Taking learning outside
4 Taking learning outside
Using the outdoor space around your school provides opportunities for more
active and engaging explanations. These are particularly appealing to those
with a predominantly tactile learning style. An outdoor space with flowers
can enable students to observe germination, pollination, fertilisation and seed
dispersal first hand. If your school has limited outdoor space, you could
arrange for your students to plant seeds in small pots before embarking on
the study of plant life cycles.
The outdoor space also lends itself very well to reinforcing classroom
explanations. One possibility for making learning more active is to make a
science treasure hunt. This involves writing out questions and answers on
separate strips of paper. Arrange your students in small groups, giving them
each a different question. They then have to look for the appropriate answer
among those you have hidden outside. Alternatives to this game are to hide
the questions and give students the answers instead, or to hide both the
questions and the answers, so that students have to find pairs that match.
The example treasure hunt questions and answers in Table 4 can be used to
assess your students’ understanding of plant parts and their functions. What
other topics lend themselves well to this activity?
Table 4 Example treasure hunt questions and answers.
What collect sunlight to help the plant to grow?
Leaves
Where are the seeds produced in the plant?
Bud
What contains the seeds, ready to be dispersed?
Roots
What will grow into a full flower?
Fruit
What act as landing platform for insects? The colour and
scent helps attract the insects.
Stem
What take water and nutrients from the soil?
Flower
What carries water and nutrients around the plant?
Petals
Pause for thought
In what ways do you plan to enhance your explanations to ensure that
they engage all of your students?
What kinds of things can you invite your students to explain to each
other?
What are the benefits of active rather than passive ways of reinforcing
explanations? How could using your school’s outdoor areas support
learning in science?
11
TDU 3
Using explanations as a teaching strategy: life processes
5 Summary
In this unit you have considered small ways in which you can improve the
explanations that you give to your students to ensure that they are motivated
and challenged. You will have thought about the different ways that people
process information and how you can appeal to the visual, auditory and
tactile learners in your class. By reflecting on a case study and two versions
of a lesson plan, you will have identified ways to improve teacher
explanations so that all of your students feel motivated and challenged.
You have also considered the value of asking students to explain scientific
concepts and processes to their peers.
To conclude this unit, note down five tips for improving teacher explanations
in elementary science. Which of them do you intend to adopt with your
students?
12
6 Resources
6 Resources
Resource 1: Lesson plan A
Lesson plan A – for use with Section 3, ‘Engaging different learning styles
through lesson planning’.
13
14
Can students identify and name parts of
a plant (relates to previous lesson)?
New vocabulary Vocabulary from
previous lesson
pollination
anther
germination
filament
fertilization
petal
seed dispersal
stamen
photosynthesise sepal
peduncle
receptacle
ovule
ovary
style
stigma
carpel
Can students correctly order the steps in
the life cycle of a plant?
Outcomes:
Can students distinguish between pollen
dispersal and seed dispersal?
Identify and name parts of a plant
(relates to previous lesson).
Objectives:
Understand the life cycle of flowering
plants.
Topic / Objectives
Elementary Science: Plant life cycle
Explain and write the definition of germination,
pollination, fertilisation and seed dispersal as the
students are told about the life cycle. Tell students a life
of a plant starts where the seed lands on soil. The seed
then germinates and grows a shoot. At this point, it
starts to photosynthesise and grows into a small plant.
The plant continues to grow and develops a flower. The
flower is pollinated by a bee, the pollen fertilises an
ovum (egg) in the ovary. The flower dies and a seed head
forms. The seeds are dispersed in the wind. The life cycle
then begins again.
Draw a diagram of a plant life cycle and explain what
happens at each stage of the process (see below).
Main Teaching (Teacher explanation)
Review last lesson. Draw a diagram of the internal parts
of a flower (see p2). Ask students to say what the
internal parts of a plant are called, including the male
and female parts. Write these labels on the board.
Can they use the words pollination,
germination, fertilisation and seed dispersal
correctly?
Can the students explain each part of the
process?
Can students correctly order the steps in the
life cycle of a plant?
Can students identify and name parts of a
plant? (relates to previous lesson)
Assessment:
Independent / Group activity
Students will draw a life cycle of a plant in
their science books, labelling and explaining
each part of the process.
TDU 3 Using explanations as a teaching strategy: life processes
A diagram of the internal parts of a flower.
6 Resources
15
TDU 3
Using explanations as a teaching strategy: life processes
Resource 2: Further reading
You may find this book useful to help you with your teaching:
.
Sam Plants a Sunflower by Kate Petty and Axel Scheffler.
If you are interested in the topic of human digestion, you may find the
following online resources useful as background information:
.
‘Nutrition in animals’ (National Council of Educational Research and
Training, 2011)
.
‘The digestive system and how it works’ (National Digestive Diseases
Information Clearinghouse, 2008)
.
‘Learn human body – digestive system’ (APPUSERIES, 2010 )
If you are interested in the topic of human respiration, you may find the
following online resources useful as background information:
.
‘Respiration in organisms’ (National Council of Educational Research
and Training, 2011)
.
Animation of a diaphragm exhaling and inhaling (Wikimedia
Commons, 2008)
.
‘Learn human body – respiratory system’ (APPUSERIES, 2012)
.
‘Respiratory system: oxygen delivery system’ (The Franklin Institute,
undated
If you are interested in the topic of sexual reproduction in plants, you may
find the following online:
.
‘Reproduction in plants’ (National Council of Educational Research and
Training, 2011)
16
.
‘Reproduction in plants’ (Schultz, undated)
.
‘Sexual reproduction in flower plants’ (paralleleducation, 2012)
7 Related units
7 Related units
Giving clear explanations will be an integral part of everyday elementary
science teaching and therefore is related to most other TDUs.
.
TDU 1, Sound: eliciting prior knowledge through brainstorming: Terms
like ‘amplitude’ and ‘frequency’, and the mechanism of sound production
by human beings using the voice box and the inner structure of the ear,
lend themselves to interactive classroom explanations. You can engage
your students in simple activities such as touching someone’s body as it
produces sound to feel the associated vibration, striking the edge of a
metal cup containing water and noting the different sounds produced with
varying levels of water, and other such activities.
.
TDU 10, The environment: creative ways to introduce new topics:
Aspects such as ground water, recharging of ground water, the water
table, depletion of the water table, the distribution of water and water
management need to be explained, because students cannot directly
observe or investigate them. The explanation may be initiated with
examples of Indian states facing ground water depletion. You may
discuss the reasons for this, its impact and any possible remedial
measures available. You may show them related newspaper clippings and
read out such news. You may also ask students whether they face
problems regarding drinking water and discuss the water conservation
measures adopted in their community.
17
TDU 3
Using explanations as a teaching strategy: life processes
References
APPUSERIES [YouTube user] (2010) ‘Learn human body – digestive system’
(online), YouTube, 11 June. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=_EtTWXQ5BiA (accessed 26 November 2013).
APPUSERIES [YouTube user] (2012) ‘Learn human body – respiratory system’
(online), YouTube, 7 March. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=VseZ4fvJxu0 (accessed 26 November 2013).
The Franklin Institute (undated) ‘Respiratory system: oxygen delivery system’
(online). Available from: http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/systems/
respiration.html (accessed 26 November 2013).
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2011) Science Textbook
for Class VII. New Delhi: NCERT. Available from: http://ncert.nic.in/ncerts/
textbook/textbook.htm?gesc1=2-18 (accessed 26 November 2013).
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (2008) ‘Your digestive
system and how it works’ (online), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases, US Department of Health and Human Services, April.
Available from: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/
(accessed 26 November 2013).
paralleleducation [YouTube user] (2012) ‘Sexual reproduction in flower plants |
fertilization’ (online), YouTube, 9 April. Available from: http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=X7zW5W6XGeg (accessed 26 November 2013).
Schultz, S.T. (undated) ‘Reproduction in plants’ (online), Biology Encyclopedia.
Available from: http://www.biologyreference.com/Re-Se/Reproduction-inPlants.html#b (accessed 26 November 2013).
Wikimedia Commons (2008) ‘File:Diaphragmatic_breathing.gif’ (online), 10
September. Available from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Diaphragmatic_breathing.gif (accessed 26 November 2013).
18
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
The content of this teacher development unit was developed collaboratively
and incrementally by the following educators and academics from India and
The Open University (UK) who discussed various drafts, including the
feedback from Indian and UK critical readers: Sutapa Bose, Jane Devereux
and Christine James.
Except for third party materials and otherwise stated, this content is made
available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not
subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made
to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this unit:
Figure 1: photograph taken by Jane Devereux.
Figure 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mature_flower_diagram.svg
(public domain).
CCE logo: http://cbse.nic.in/.
Other illustrations: clip art used with permission from Microsoft.
Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been
inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the
necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.
19