A group of scientists, including members from the Royal Society of Chemistry, recently suggested that experiences such as licking an ice lolly could enhance children’s understanding of science. The idea is that by watching the lolly melt, students would better grasp scientific concepts like melting, which could lead to a deeper understanding of chemistry and physics.
But is this approach effective in helping students learn? While demonstrations and real-life examples can be engaging, relying solely on such experiences as a shortcut to knowledge may fall short, as learning science involves more than just memorable events.
A Memorable Experience vs. Knowledge
Learning through experiences has long been advocated, especially by early 20th-century educator John Dewey. Dewey emphasized that rote learning often results in “inert knowledge,” where students know facts but can’t apply them to the real world. A hands-on activity, like licking a lolly, could create an episodic memory an event in a child’s life that they remember. However, memories of events are not the same as knowledge, which comes from understanding the underlying principles and concepts.
For example, living through a historical event like the French Revolution does not guarantee that someone fully understands it. Similarly, watching an ice lolly melt doesn’t automatically equate to understanding the science of melting. True scientific learning involves what psychologists call “semantic memories” the kind of understanding that enables someone to apply knowledge in various contexts, like knowing why something melts and under what conditions.
Why One Experience Isn’t Enough
Science learning requires more than one-off demonstrations. While a single experience can capture attention, a comprehensive understanding comes from repeated exposure to ideas in different contexts. For example, gardeners develop their knowledge of plants by comparing and contrasting many plants over time, not just by observing one seed grow.
The same applies to understanding melting. Observing an ice lolly melt once doesn’t mean students now grasp the concept of melting in general. They need to know why substances melt, the role of temperature, and that other materials melt under different conditions.
To truly benefit from classroom demonstrations, students need some foundational understanding of science. Without it, they might misinterpret what they see. For example, a child might assume that all melting substances are sticky like a lolly, forming misconceptions about how melting works.
This is why revisiting scientific concepts over time is essential. Each time students return to an idea, they build on what they know, gradually developing a deeper understanding. For instance, knowing that a lolly melts in warm temperatures should lead to understanding that metals, like iron, require much higher temperatures to melt.
There is evidence that personal involvement in learning can improve memory retention. Studies show that when people are personally invested in what they learn, such as being asked whether they like a word, they tend to remember it better. However, this is not a foolproof method for long-term learning. Personal experiences may be engaging, but memories fade, and relying on personal investment alone may not result in durable understanding.
Building Long-Term Knowledge
If the goal is to help students retain and apply scientific knowledge, the focus should be on strategies that promote deep understanding. This involves connecting experiences to broader scientific principles and helping students categorize and relate new information to what they already know.
While licking a lolly or engaging in similar activities may be fun and memorable, it’s not a substitute for structured learning that builds on prior knowledge and provides multiple examples and contexts for students to understand scientific concepts fully.
Finally, the practicality of providing every student with an ice lolly in class, along with the logistics of cleanup, adds another layer of complexity to this proposal.
In conclusion, while hands-on experiences have a place in science education, they are most effective when combined with strategies that build deeper, long-term understanding of scientific concepts.
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