The Use of Associative Images (models) for the Development of Comprehension in Sciences Education

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3. Results and Discussion

The application of associative images (models) may be deemed as an easy available supplementary aid for the deepening of students’ perception about the material to be mastered.

It should be emphasized that the above described method, just as any other teaching/learning technique, is not universal and applicable for every situation of the life. The learning process using the models can be divided into several following stages.

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Figure 1. Stages of the teaching/learning process with models

It should be understood that models will never accomplish creating for all the concepts of natural sciences and mathematics. Therefore the teacher has to assess carefully the learning content of the given subject and the suitability of the included concepts for creating associations with a daily processes or phenomenon in the preparation stage.

The evaluation of the accumulated practical experience about the creation of models has disclosed that the preparation process for the exploitation of models is of an utmost importance. A part of students have difficulties in the perceiving associations. The problem appeared clearly in first models made by students in an incorrect way. Examples of such incorrect models are presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Models made by students incorrectly

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Moreover, discussions with students – authors of the models have revealed that quite frequently the concept for which the model has been created has stayed unplumbed in its terms. The quest for a solution of this situation has disclosed that the problem is not really in the content of learnable subject but rather in the underdeveloped literacy of the students. A student has read the description of a natural science concept or explanation but has not detected the main (key) information in this description. Therefore no creation of associations is possible. The concept in the perception of the student has remained as a simple combination of letters and words.

This problem is implicitly confirmed by the results of international study. Latvia is participating in the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) since 2000, as well as Latvia is a member state in the international program of the evaluation of students’ literacy – the Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) since 1991. Results of several research cycles have shown that achievements in literacy competence of Latvian students are rather ordinary. Lithuanian students have demonstrated similar results to Latvian students whereas Estonian students have shown considerably higher level.

Teachers were obliged to do an extra work with the mentioned students in their attempts to solve the identified problem. They have helped students to find out the key information of natural science concepts, processes and phenomenon explanations that have formed further a basis for the perception of associations with natural processes.

The simplest method for the selection of the key information is underlining, coloring in, highlighting or displaying in another way only the most essential phrases in the text. For example, in one of the previous texts (see Table 1) the student has created the diamagnetic model and has used the phrase “Diamagnetic materials are pushed off by the magnet” as the key information.

Apart from the mentioned above, teachers have to agree with students upon the work completion terms and clearly cut assessment criteria of the model in the preparation early stage. Our acquired experience shows that the creation of models can be successfully implemented also by assigning it as a creative home exercise while acquiring a certain subject or preparing for a final test. The created model can substitute some final test of a specific subject in this case.

Students are always in hurry, and therefore it is important to provide a need for a student to consider the information comprised in the model more carefully, to look at it from different sides once and again. A simple and very useful way to maintain student’s attention to the model and the science concept or explanation for a little bit longer time is the translation of all the text into a foreign language. At the same time, a nice possibility appears to enlarge the students’ knowledge of the chosen foreign language while leaning themes of science. For example, students whose mother tongue is not English, including students in Latvia, can efficiently improve their skills of English during classes of science. The teaching and learning process of sciences in the Riga English Grammar School is in Latvian but students are acquiring English as their first foreign language already from the very beginning of their studies. Therefore the translation of models presents a nice possibility for students to apply their knowledge of English in other teaching subjects and to see practical benefits of learning a foreign language. Therefore students are encouraged to describe their models both in Latvian and in English in our school.

Teachers of the Riga English Grammar School have also elaborated a system of criteria for the evaluation of models elaborated by students (Table 3).

Table 3. The criteria of model assessment

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The time students are spending in classes of science and mathematics is quite limited and should be economized. A special work sheet (1) in an electronic format (Table 4) is worked out for students therefore to facilitate the elaboration of models; consecutive actions made step-by-step are described in it for a successful construction of a model once again. Internet resources are often used in the search for a theoretical justification of a model. Therefore students should be warned that the chosen information for the theoretical justification of models has to be credible and justified, and the warning should be stressed.

Table 4. An example of student’s work sheet (1)

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The evaluation of models elaborated by students has disclosed that some students have great difficulties with creating their own model but they can notice really well the successes and faults in the models made by their classmates, as well as propose reasonable and constructive suggestions for their improvements. Frequently the suggestions made by fellow classmates are taken into mind by students much more seriously than those of the teacher. Recommendations are obtained from these suggestions for the improvement and amelioration of the initially proposed models during the evaluation process by students. Discussions break out and the diversity of opinions appears quite often that motivate students to penetrate much more in the essence of concepts to be acquired. The discussed evaluation process can be carried out as an individual work or as a group work. A special work sheet – the student’s work sheet (2) Assessment of the model was elaborated in order to obtain a uniform view of all students on the evaluation process (Table 5).

Table 5. A precept of student’s work sheet (2)

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