Many students approach chemistry, biology, and physics with anxiety, ready to throw up their hands in frustration at the slightest confusion and announce that “this stuff is just too hard.” Some of that anxiety stems from the mathematics required for science, and some of it stems from the legitimate fear of being overwhelmed by textbooks with long sentences, unfamiliar words, charts, graphs, labels, and sidebars.
Audiovisual instruction circumvents much of that anxiety and fear by allowing students to see what’s being said as it’s said, by explaining things in plain English, and by helping students see the usefulness of what they’re learning. Fortunately, the iphone has made students comfortable with narrated, evolving images, which are ideal for teaching science because they allow students to see what you’re saying as you say it. Also, by using both sight and sound, narrated images allow the brain to store the information in both its visual and auditory centers, making for easier retrieval.
For those students who see no reason to even learn science, I try to show them that not only is science usable, understanding science is essential if you want to become a better athlete, a better chef, a better whatever. Understand science and you’ll live longer, healthier lives with greater awareness and appreciation of plants, animals, even natural and man-made structures. You’ll also walk away with a better understanding of what it takes to keep ourselves and our country safe from natural and made-made threats.
I teach chemistry first, before biology, because so much of biology is chemistry of the cell. My chemistry curriculum begins by explaining the four ways atoms bond to each other to form molecules. Each bond produces molecules with characteristic properties that reveal themselves in our everyday lives. Everything else in chemistry stems from an understanding of the four bonds holding atoms together.
I begin by reassuring students that I assume (with some justification) that they know absolutely nothing about anything, so they don’t have to be embarrassed by not knowing. After that, I teach by narrating slowly-evolving images that explain the science behind everyday phenomena. So instead of trying to “build new understanding and competence with practices through investigation of complex phenomena”,1 as advocated by some, I try to avoid complex phenomena, because students already come to science with their trigger cocked, “knowing” in the hearts that science is just too hard and only for the smart kids in the class. There’s no point in helping them confirm that misconception.
Within each lesson is a “catch-our-breath” slide that summarizes what’s just been taught. Another review is presented at the end of each lesson along with hypothetical situations or questions that give students a chance to apply what they’ve just learned. Answers and explanations are provided.
Following the review is a standard multiple-choice test with hints in each question, followed by explanations of each answer.
The brain is a predicting machine, and sensing danger but being unable to identify the threat creates the inability to anticipate what’s about to happen creates anxiety, an emotion worse than fear. With fear, we identify the threat and formulate a plan to counter or escape the threat. Anxiety results when we can’t identify the threat and are left not knowing where to turn.
Fear and anxiety of failing and being excluded from the group, or worse, the object of ridicule, is most likely to occur in physics because of all the math formulas used to solve physics problems.
I’ve found 5 simple graphs to be helpful in that respect, because they allow students to solve problems without having to memorize complex formulas they’re unlikely to remember after the course is finished.