Table 3 Reports on the experimental lessons (in relation to Figure 1)
Report | Achievements | Shortcomings/Problems |
|---|---|---|
Lesson 1 | Students were active and excited in doing hands-on activities | Students were passive in oral communications with the teacher, who transmitted knowledge rather than helping the students construct knowledge |
Lesson 2 | Students were active in cooperative tasks | Knowledge was sometimes imposed on students by the teacher |
Lesson 3 | The teacher was effective in developing elaborative questions | The one-way interaction from teacher to students was rather dominant |
Lesson 4 | The lesson was developed as designed and the students enjoyed the lesson | The students were still passive and static in learning in the Exchange phase |
Lesson 5 | The students were enthusiastic in learning, especially in the Experience phase | The teaching and learning in the Exchange phase did not lead to the active participation of the students |
Lesson 6 | The interaction between students became dominant in the lesson and the students were highly enthusiastic in learning | The teacher was rather confused in dealing with some of the students’ answers |
Lesson 7 | The teacher was notably effective in creating elaborative questions to help the students construct knowledge | Scientific argumentation in students’ discussions was still limited |
Lesson 8 | The students were engaged in the experiment and excited about learning | Scientific argumentation in students’ discussions was still limited |
Lesson 9 | Teaching activities were arranged to correspond smoothly to each of the phases | The students were not provided with enough guidance to be effective in answering some of the teacher’s questions when the students had to apply their knowledge to a new problem |