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Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

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Teaching and Learning Science through Multiple Representations: Intuitions and Executive Functions.

Janice Hansen¹, Lindsey Engle Richland²

¹Director of Undergraduate Education, School of Education, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.

CBE Life Sciences Education

|December 1, 2020

Summary

Students learn science best when visual representations are presented simultaneously, not one at a time. This approach, especially for complex topics like mitosis and meiosis, aids understanding when paired with self-explanation prompts.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive science
Science education
Pedagogy

Background:

Effective science learning relies on executive functions like attention control and working memory.
Visual representations are crucial for understanding complex scientific concepts.
Prior research suggests a discrepancy between how individuals believe others learn and how they learn themselves.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate pedagogical best practices for sequencing visual representations in science education.
To compare teaching beliefs with personal learning beliefs regarding visual representation presentation.
To test the learning effectiveness of simultaneous versus serial visual representation presentation in middle school students.

Main Methods:

Pedagogical intuitions on sequencing visual representations were gathered from pre-service teachers, undergraduates, and middle schoolers.
Learning outcomes were assessed in middle school students using different presentation methods.
Students were tested on their understanding of mitosis and meiosis using visual aids.

Main Results:

At all ages, participants' beliefs about teaching others differed from their beliefs about their own learning.
Most educators believed in serial (one-at-a-time) presentation for teaching, while learners preferred simultaneous presentation for themselves.
Middle school students learned mitosis and meiosis best with simultaneous visual representations when combined with self-explanation prompts.

Conclusions:

Simultaneous presentation of visual representations, coupled with self-explanation, enhances learning of complex biological processes.
Science educators should align their teaching beliefs with effective learning strategies, particularly the use of multiple, simultaneously presented visuals.
Findings offer new recommendations for improving how students connect across visual representations in science, especially for cell division concepts.