The Role of Dynamic Computer Models in Teaching about Microworlds at the Primary Level

Transcription

1 The Role of Dynamic Computer Models in Teaching about Microworlds at the Primary Level 1 Małgorzata Nodzyńska, 2 Joanna Tajduś 1 Department of Didactic of Chemistry, Pedagogical University, Kraków, Poland 2 Public Primary Paula Montal, Pijar Sisters School in Rzeszów, Poland One of the main aims for teachers in science teaching is to create a proper way in which students think about the surrounding world and the changes in it. This point of view concerns both the macroworld which means everything that influences students' senses as well as the microworld of atoms and molecules which are hidden from our senses. Students can easily understand the phenomena of microworlds through dynamic computer models. Jednym z głównych celów nauczycieli w nauczaniu przedmiotów przyrodniczych jest nauczenie uczniów poprawnego sposobu myślenia o otaczającym ich świecie i zmianach jakie w nim zachodzą. Dotyczy to zarówno myślenia o świecie marko (czyli świecie w jakim uczniowie żyją i który jest dostępny ich zmysłom) jak również myślenia o mikroświecie - świecie atomów, jonów i cząsteczek, które są ukryte przed naszymi zmysłami. Ułatwieniem w zrozumieniu jak przebiegają procesy w mikroświecie są dla uczniów dynamiczne komputerowe animacje. Keywords: didactic chemistry, microworld, computer models Introduction On January 1 st,.1999, Poland started a major reform of its educational system. One of the changes of the reform was a new subject, "natural sciences" which was introduced to the curriculum of classes 4, 5 and 6 in the primary school. The subject consists of basic biology, chemistry, physics and geography. It is a kind of introduction into these subjects, which are taught after graduating the primary school, in gymnasium. One of the main goals of teaching the "natural sciences" in the primary school is making the students aware of the phenomena of the surrounding world and its changes. (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej, 2007). It is true not only for the macroworld notions (world which can be discovered by senses) but also for microworld notions (the world of chemical individual atoms, ions, and particles which cannot be experienced directly through senses. One of the most important issues included in the curriculum of teaching the natural sciences in the primary school is the changes and transformations, which are taking place around us. Also, the changes of the state of aggregation (Dmochowski et al.; 2000). It is a problem, which is observed by students in their everyday life. However, the phenomenon observed in the macroworld is not complete. At the level of macroworld it The Role of Dynamic Computer Models in Teaching about Microworlds at the Primary Level 238

2 is not possible to answer the question: "Why does ice melt when the temperature rises?" To be able to understand that problem a student has to know the structure of the microworld (Nodzyńska, 2011). That is why, while teaching the natural sciences subjects to students in the primary school, the teacher should introduce and explain the micro scale. Then, the knowledge of the students would be compatible with the present state of knowledge in science and it would enable them to understand the observed natural processes. In accordance with the Kupisiewicz conception, abstract thinking can be developed early in the basic level of education, because every level of sensoric-motoric thinking has capability, and at a certain level, of abstract thinking (the information concerning the structure of the material at the micro scale is considered abstract) (Kupisiewicz, 2005). To make it easier for students of the primary school to understand the notion of the microworld in the natural sciences teaching certain models are implemented (Paśko, 2004; Cieśla & Nodzyńska, 2012). Research To explain the processes of changes in the state of aggregation (as an example - on water) a dynamic computer model was developed using the program Flash, which showed the processes widely known by students - ice melting, evaporation of water. The main goals and characteristics of the computer dynamic models are: -to show the three dimensional space at the level of the micro world -to display the movements of particles, ions, atoms in the solid bodies, liquids and gases -proportions are real in that models - the size of particular atoms in particles and in ions -particles and polyatomic ions have their real shape -that atoms, ions and particles are not presented as sharp structures with an end, but the form of electron cloud is being emulated with blurred image, without clear boundaries of the particle -they meet the theory Brownian motion. -they state the fact that the atoms, ions and particles do not have any colors -they enable repetitions with emphasizing successive steps of the reaction -they allow certain simplifications corresponding with the level of knowledge of the user (Bilek & Nodzyńska, 2007; Nodzyńska, 2012a; 2012b; Nodzyńska & Paśko 2012). An animation was created where through these models, the changes, which occur during the melting of the ice and evaporation of the water in the micro scale were shown. The research was conducted in two primary schools in the fifth classes. In both schools the obligatory textbook for this subject is the same. The research was conducted using the method of pedagogical experiment, parallel groups technique. Two groups were created: -first group was an experimental group (students of the 5 th class in the Public Primary "Paula Montal, Pijar Sisters" School in Rzeszów) where an independent variable was introduced - computer animation, -second group was a control group (students of the 5 th class in the Public Primary "Paula Montal, Pijar Sisters" School in Kraków) The lessons in both classes were carried out using a similar lesson plan. The goal of the lesson plan in the control group was explanation of what is happening in the micro scale by a teacher (without any additional aids) and the change of the state of aggregation was observed during the lesson on an example with an ice cube melting. In the lesson plan of the Biology International Vol Nodzyńska & Tajduś

3 experimental class the change of the state of aggregation was shown on the computer animation using the dynamic models and a teacher only described the process of the melting ice. In the end of the lesson in both classes a questionnaire was carried out. The questionnaire consisted of 13 questions - both open and closed ended concerning the content of the lesson and its evaluation. The results The first question in the questionnaire was: "Name the pictures correctly: ice, water, steam." Figure 1. Picture to question 1 in the questionnaire All the students answered this question. In the experimental school, 100% of students answered correctly, in the control school 96% of correct answers was obtained. The difference is not statistically significant, so the conclusion can be that the students who watched the animation and the ones who only heard from the teacher about the processes in micro scale can recognize the right states of aggregation. The second question was: "describe what the ice cube is built from?" All the students also answered that question. Because of the variety of answers, they were divided into 9 categories. The quantity of answers in each category is shown in the Table 1. The number of the correct answers (the ice cube is built from the particles of water) given by the students of the experimental classes was 70%, and, the students of control classes was 30%. Another issue observed is that a part of students from the experimental class (18%) remembered correctly the notion "hydrogen bond" and used it in the right context, contrary to the students from the control class who did not. A conclusion can be made that using the dynamic computer models caused not only better understanding of the inner structure of the ice crystal, but also that some part of what students learn in the next level of education are being learned first at primary school. The Role of Dynamic Computer Models in Teaching about Microworlds at the Primary Level 240

4 Table 1. Categories and the percentage of the particular answers on the questions 2: Students' answers control class experimental class from the particles of water 30% 70% from the water molecules 22% from small particles which oscillate 22% from frozen water 13% from particles combined by hydrogen bonds 18% from atoms 4% from water 4% from elements H and O combined with hydrogens 13% solid body 4% The answers to Question 2 were also classified regarding their correctness. In the experimental classes the number of the correct answers was 96% and in the control classes it was only 87%. Next issue being compared was the number of terms from the microworld, which was used by students in their answers. In the experimental classes the students used these notions more frequently (92%) then the students from the control classes (87%). To sum, it can be said that better results were obtained in the experimental classes. The students of these classes more frequently answered the questions correctly and used notions from the microworld. The answers to the third question of the questionnaire: "Describe how the particles of water behave in the temperature of 0 o C." are presented in Table 2: Table 2. Categories and the percentage of the particular answers on the questions 3: Terms from Correct Control the micro answer classes Students' answers scale world the particles oscillate % the particles oscillate and come off + + 9% the particles come off % Experimental classes they melt 9% they freeze and form an ice cube 26% they are joined together + + 4% less place to move 4% bubbles are formed 4% are oscillating very quickly + 4% nothing is happening 4% they are dispersing % oscillating around their axis % spinning around their axis and then are separated + + 9% they unfreeze 4% lack of answer 6% 0% Biology International Vol Nodzyńska & Tajduś

5 In analyzing the answers, first thing seen is that the students of the experimental classes gave less varied answers. 96% of the answers were correct and concerned the world at the micro scale. The answers of the students of the control classes were varied, but only 47% can be recognized as correct and relating to the micro world. So it can be assumed that the visualization of the process of ice melting in the micro scale helped the students from the experimental classes to understand the process more fully. The next question was: "Describe the process of ice melting." This question concerned in fact the same process as in Question 3. But, in that case there were no notions from the microworld. The Question checked if the students used the terms by themselves, even if they are not used in the question. Table 3. Categories and the percentage of the particular answers on the questions 4: Terms from Correct Students' answers the micro answer scale world Control classes Experimental classes the ice cube is melting 22 the change of the state of aggregation from solid to liquid the particles coming off the solid body disruption of the hydrogen bonds the particles tear off and glide in the form of + 9 water vapor slow evaporation 4 it's detaching of the particles quicker movement of the particles it's transfer of the thermal energy + 9 lack of answer 4 4 The most popular answer from students from the experimental classes was that the process of ice melting consists in quicker movements of the particles (40% of answers). No one from the control classes answered that question that way. It can be seen that the students paid attention to the correlation between the temperature of the system and the speed of moving particles. The students from the control classes answered most frequently (30%) that ice melting consists in changing of the state of aggregation. Comparing the percent of right answers of the students from both classes, we can note that the students from the experimental classes obtained clearly better results (94% of correct answers) than the students from the control classes (61% of correct answers). Students from the experimental classes used the terms from the micro world in 57% and in the control classes in 40%. In comparison to the former question (96% and 47% of answers consisting of the terms from microworld) it can be observed that a percent of answers including these terms decreased when the terms weren't used in the question. Therefore, it can be assumed that while asking the students to explain some phenomena, terms from the microworld should be used. In the 5 th Question, the students had to choose from 6 statements the correct ones (more than one could be correct). The Role of Dynamic Computer Models in Teaching about Microworlds at the Primary Level 242

6 a) The particles of solid water don't move b) The particles of solid water oscillate slightly c) The particles of liquid water move d) The particles of liquid water only oscillate slightly e) The particles of water vapor move slower than in the liquid water f) The particles of water vapor move quicker than in the liquid water The results show that the students from the experimental classes answered the questions definitely better - 70% of them checked all the correct answers, while the control classes did so only 35%. It can be assumed that the students watching the animation observed the movements of the particles in each state of aggregation and remembered that information. In next Question, the students where asked about the definition of the evaporation process: "How is the process named where the liquid changes into water vapor?" students gave mostly correct answers: evaporation (56% in control classes, 52% in experimental classes), vaporization (9%, 8%), boiling (9%, 4%). Generally in that question can be observed that the control classes were doing better - 74% of correct answers in comparison to 64% of correct answers in experimental classes. In the case where the Question is not related to the computer animation, which students were watching, but to the memorized knowledge, better results were observed in control classes. Questions 7 and 8 were analogous to questions 3 and 4, but, they concerned the boiling process. Like in the former Questions (3 & 4) the first (Question 7) had in its content the notions from the microworld and the second (Question 8) did not. In Question 7, the students had to describe what is happening with the water particles at a temperature of 100 degrees. In the next Question they were asked to describe the process of boiling. It turned out that observation of the boiling process in presented animation wasn't easy and the majority of students (85%) from the experimental classes answered Question 7 incorrectly. The answers were: "the particles are vaporizing" or "they are changing into water vapor". In the control classes only 38% of students gave similar answers. In the control classes the majority answered correctly (45%) that "the particles move very quickly and have such big energy that come off the surface of water liquid", however, only 17% of the experimental class answered in that way. It can be assumed that the fragment of the animation showing the process of boiling at the micro scale should be analyzed because it is probably erroneous. In the control classes, a relatively big percent (19%) gave totally incorrect answers as "the particles are disappearing", "they are bubbling". These kinds of answers didn't appear in experimental classes. Even more problems occurred with Question 8. Mostly, the students used as a synonym of boiling evaporation (61% in the control classes and 62% in experimental classes). 22% of students from the control class and 17% from the experimental class paid attention to the quicker movements of the particles during the process of boiling. It seems that the second part of the Biology International Vol Nodzyńska & Tajduś

7 animation (concerning the process of boiling) was definitely worse than the first one (concerning the process of ice melting) or maybe a break is necessary between these two animations. Question 9 checked if the students could draw a particle of water. That question was answered correctly by 22% of students in the control classes and 96% of students in the experimental classes. So, it can be assumed that the visualization presented during the lesson improved remarkably students' ideas of the micro-structure (in that case the structure of the water particle). What is interesting is that in the questionnaire, in questions one and ten, the particles of water were drawn. In the next question, the students had to choose the correct caption under the picture (Figure.2). In the answers to this question there is no statistically significant difference observed - 100% of correct answers given by students from the control classes, 96% of correct answers given by the ones from experimental classes. melting evaporation Figure 2. Picture to Question 10 in the Questionnaire Question 11 was: "Describe what happened to the temperature which was measured by a thermometer during the whole experiment." The obtained answers are shown in Table 4. Despite that the students from both classes observed the increase of temperature during the whole process, the difference in percent of correct answers is distinct. In the experimental classes 83% correct answers were given and in the control ones 43%. The big difference can be probably explained because the students from the experimental class watched the animation on a big screen of a multimedia projector and the students from the control classes watched the experiments as shown them by a teacher. That is why the students from the experimental class could precisely observe the rise of the temperature at the thermometer. Table 4. Categories and the percentage of the particular answers on the questions 11 Students' answers Correct answer Control classes Experimental classes was rising was rising from 0 to the temperature described by each state of aggregation + 4 it was rising and after coming to 0 it stopped +/- 4 it was changing +/- 17 was increasing and then decreasing 17 was decreasing and then increasing 13 lack of answer 10 4 off topic answers 9 The Role of Dynamic Computer Models in Teaching about Microworlds at the Primary Level 244

8 temperatura In Question 12, the students had to fill 5 boxes on a chart with words: ice, liquid water, water vapor, evaporation, melting czas Figure 3. Picture to Question 12 in the Questionnaire This Question is not related directly to the watched animation, analogous to Question 6. Identically like in Question 6, also Question 12 was better answered by students from the control class - 83% of the students put all the words in the right boxes. In experimental class, only 53% answered the question fully correct. In the experimental class 35% of students made one mistake (ex. confusing the notions evaporation - water vapor and melting - liquid water.) The last Question, number 13, was the evaluation and was different for both classes: Control class Experimental class Choose the answer: Choose the answer: The experiment carried out in the lesson: The animation presented on the lesson: a) I liked it very much a) I liked it very much b) It was ok b) It was ok c) I didn't like it c) I didn't like it Obtained results show that the students liked the lesson with animated computer models much better. 87% of the students from the experimental class answered they liked the lesson very much compared to 56% of students who answered that from the control classes. Biology International Vol Nodzyńska & Tajduś

9 Conclusions: From this research, it follows that the questions, which were not related directly to the presented animation (Questions 6 and 12), definitely better results achieved the control classes. However, in the other 10 questions, which were related to the contents that appeared in the animation, the experimental classes did better. The control classes answered better only two questions concerning the process of boiling (probably erroneously pictured in the visualization). In two questions (number 1 and 10), where the students had to identify the state of aggregation and the process of melting and evaporation, both classes obtained similar results. Taking everything into account, it can be summarized that the animation presented to the students of the experimental classes contributed to better comprehension by the students of the process of ice melting. These students learned to describe the phenomenon using the terms of microworld. The results show clearly that even students in primary school can learn about the micro-structure of the world if the proper teaching aids are being used. In favor of the computer dynamic models, is the fact that the students from the control classes, for Questions 1 and 10 of the Questionnaire could choose the right caption under each picture even though they were seeing these kind of pictures for the first time and without any explanations from the teacher. References: Bilek M., Nodzyńska M., a kol. (2007). Vliv dynamickych pocitacovych modelu na porozumeni procesu z oblasti mikrosveta u zaku zemi visegradskeho trojuhelniku - Gaudeamus, Hradec Kralove; Cieśla P. & M. Nodzynska. (2012) Changes in visualization of micro - world in textbooks and in chemistry teaching at lower stages of education in Poland [w:] LA CHIMICA NELLA SCUOLA, Giornale di Didattica e Cultura della Società Chimica Italiana CnS La Chimica nella ScuolaXXXIV 3s : http: // ICE - rome /Cie.pdf Dmochowski, R, B. Klimuszko, J. Sokołowska, M. Wilczyńska-Wołoszyn, (2000). Program nauczania przyrody w szkole podstawowej Żak Wydawnictwo Edukacyjne Zofii Dobkowskiej, Warszawa Kupisiewicz, Cz. (2005). Dydaktyka ogólna, WSiP Warszawa Nodzyńska, M. (2011). Rola modelowania w nauczaniu przyszłych nauczycieli przedmiotów przyrodniczych [W:] Kompetencje czy kwalifikacje? - efekty kształcenia studentów kierunków przyrodniczych w kontekście Krajowych Ram Kwalifikacji i badań na różnych etapach edukacyjnych (red. Potyrała, K.) Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Pedagogicznego, s Nodzyńska, M, (2012a). Vizualizace v chemii a ve výuce chemie [w:] Chemické listy. 2012, R. 106, s The Role of Dynamic Computer Models in Teaching about Microworlds at the Primary Level 246

10 Nodzyńska M., (2012b). Wizualizacja w chemii i nauczaniu chemii, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Pedagogicznego, Kraków Nodzyńska, M. & J.R. Paśko. (2012). Teaching The Constitution Of Matter - Chemistry: Bulgarian Journal of Science Education, Volume 21, Number 4, 2012, Природни науки в образованието, s % pdf Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 23 sierpnia 2007 r. zmieniające rozporządzenie w sprawie podstawy programowej wychowania przedszkolnego oraz kształcenia ogólnego w poszczególnych typach szkół - Podstawa programowa kształcenia ogólnego dla szkół podstawowych i gimnazjów Margaret Christine Nodzyńska, doctor of pedagogical sciences of teaching chemistry. In she graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, graduating in 1989 with master's degree in chemistry. After graduation, she was employed at the Department of Chemistry, Pedagogical University of Cracow. While working at the university, Dr. M. Nodzyńska also worked at the school as a teacher of chemistry. Her experience as a teacher is backed up by 18 years of teaching students in various types of schools. In 2003, Dr. M. Nodzyńska received a degree of doctor of pedagogical sciences of teaching chemistry at the Faculty of History of Education at the University of Opole, where she defended her doctoral thesis entitled "Development of chemical concepts in students in the educational process." The supervisor was Prof.. Richard Gmoch. On May 16, 2013, she defended her Habilitation at the Charles University in Prague called "visualization in chemistry and chemistry teaching." Dr. Margaret Nodzyńska organized numerous scientific conferences and seminars - including conference that is held regularly every two years called: Research in didactics science. Major achievements is the participation of Dr. M. Nodzyńskiej in eight international grants. The scientific achievements of Dr. M. Nodzyńskiej includes seven monographs, editors 12 monographs, 32 chapters in books Polish and foreign, seven school textbooks, which is authored 150 journal articles in Polish and foreign. Mgr Joanna Tajduś studied biology with elements of chemistry and natural science at Pedagogical University in Kraków. Her magistrate was on a subject of didactics of chemistry entitled: "Usage of dynamic computer models in science classes with regards to teaching about changes in physical states". She has been working as a teacher of science at Public Primary Paula Montal, Pijar Sisters School in Rzeszów since Since 2011 she has been employed in Public Secondary Paula Montal, Pijar Sisters School in Rzeszów as a teacher of chemistry and biology and at the same time she has been acting as a asssistant headmaster in the same institution. Biology International Vol Nodzyńska & Tajduś