Chapter 8: How High School Students Construct or Create Animations About Water Boiling

Students have direct experiences with the macroscopic world in their daily lives. They are also involved in direct experiences in science classrooms, such as combining solutions and seeing that they change color as evidence of a chemical reaction. What they do not see, the microscopic world is much more of a challenge for students to understand. Educators who teach these complex concepts that are “invisible” to the naked eye often use static (e.g., models, pictures in textbooks) and less often, dynamic (e.g., computer animations, simulations). Even less common are classrooms in which students create their own visualizations.

There are a number of theories describing how drawing aids in students’ conceptual learning, such as Van Meter and Garner’s (2005) generative theory of drawing construction (GTDC). This chapter will detail one approach recommended by theorists and researchers, the use of visualizations in science classrooms, and describe the results of a recent research study conducted with high school students enrolled in visualization courses, in which they constructed or created original animations about water boiling. This is preceded by an explanation of the key elements of the generative theory of drawing construction.