Case Study of Making and Rehearsing with Model Material of Pan Scales

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  • 上皿天秤モデルの製作・リハーサルの指導法の事例的研究
  • ウエザラ テンビン モデル ノ セイサク ・ リハーサル ノ シドウホウ ノ ジレイテキ ケンキュウ

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Abstract

The received wisdom is that the skill of manipulating instruments is one of the main components in laboratory work in science education. However, the skill is difficult for students to acquire, which serious situation influences that they have episodes for forming attitudes and develop the ability of problem-solving and cognitive strategies useful in learning and problem-solving. The situation also influences students' abilities to acquire scientific thinking, judgement, writing, communication and to improve their understanding. A pan scale is one of the instruments that elementary and lower secondary school students have recognized to be difficult to manipulate correctly. The main cause are as follows: 5th grade elementary school students have not acquired the scientific ability to bring the expect range of measurements to converge at the mass of the object on the pan every putting the scale weights on and off another pan. They also have not acquired the skill of judging whether the pan scale balances by simply watching the scale needle swings from side to side. This is because that they do not utilize the number line which they used when they learned addition and subtraction of a decimal in math classes in the 4th grade of elementary school. Former learns the skill of manipulating the pan scales since entering elementary school. The author invents the model material that students can use to rehearse manipulating skills of the pan scales. We obtained the following results in this case study: 5th grade elementary school students make the material and rehearse the skills of manipulating with it. This encourages them to adjust the difference between correct operation and their memories of its symbolic representation, linking the linguistic and imaginable representations required for operating the instrument, hence acquiring the scientific ability and the skill to make judgments. Students thus develop the ability to think scientifically in science classes while utilizing the number line learned in math classes, which concept becomes meaningful in both curricula.

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