Yesterday in my science class, we were conducting an experiment about magnets. At the beginning of class I put this question on the board: How does the strength of attraction between two magnets change as the distance between them changes? This is a complicated question. There are a number of big words and it was hard for students to understand precisely what I was asking. However, once we started conducting an experiment, I saw their confusion change to understanding.
In my education classes in college, I was constantly reminded that students, especially younger ones, need “concrete” learning. Mostly, I heard this preached in regards to math class. When you are introducing students to a new math topic, such as adding with regrouping, it makes far more sense to students when they get to solve a problem using number blocks. They see that once they get twelve ones, they can trade ten of them in for a new ten. This hands on, concrete experience will bolster the understanding of the class. As I have spent more years in the classroom, I have really begun to see the benefit of being more “concrete” in other subjects as well.
In the science lesson I described above, I had my students conduct an experiment where they placed two magnets close together on a scale. One magnet rested in a cup on the scale while the other rested below the cup. The students then added some metal washer to a cup on the other side of the scale until the magnets were forced apart. They repeated this experiment a few times, but each new time they added a plastic chip between the magnets so they grew further apart. As they worked, they got to see first hand that as the magnets grew further apart, they needed fewer and fewer washers to split their attractive force. By the end of the class, even my lowest students were able to explain the answer to my question. Thus, these hands-on experiences are invaluable to students gaining a deep understanding of our science content.
At first, I had trouble finding a way to make History class concrete. It was my co-teacher who provided the solution. She began to have her students act out what the characters in our history lessons were doing. Students in her room would flee to corners of the class if they were banished, stand face to face with each other in mock battles, or kneel before the class to be knighted. This visual aid allowed students to really see the events of the history stories much more clearly. As I began to incorporate this strategy into my own lessons, I saw their written answers and spoken explanations become much clearer and more intricate.
It is truly an invaluable aid to give students the opportunity to be hands-on in their learning. Their understanding will be immensely deepened by those experiences. I would encourage every teacher to find as many ways as possible to bring their lessons to life in a concrete way.
The Classical Classroom 