Research Proposal
Effectiveness of diagrammatic notes in a high school anatomy and physiology classroom
Krista L. Botton
California State University, Northridge
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Abstract
Students respond differently to varying forms of material presentation. Due to
differences in learning styles some students may prefer spoken information, diagrams or
graphic organizers, or hands-on manipulation of course material. Teachers must present
information in a manner that can reach varying types of learners. The research investigates
the effectiveness of “picture notes” to present information in the high school classroom with a
particular focus on the benefit to visual learners.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The world over, teachers toil to interest, motivate and inspire their students while
passing along the content knowledge of their discipline. Teachers are instructed in their preservice education programs about the different learning styles of students and the methods
that can be employed to meet the needs of the different learners they will have in their
classroom. Teachers learn of the multiple intelligences and discussion of the best strategies to
use to meet the needs of each of the intelligences is considered within content areas.
Researchers have also considered the best methods for taking notes in classrooms.
Historically, teachers have taught their students to outline, then came a movement toward
concept mapping with methods including charts, graphic organizers and roundhouse diagrams
(Ward and Wandersee, 2002). Most recently researchers and teachers alike have
contemplated the benefits of using a system of note-taking, like Cornell notes. Teachers
throughout the United States have sat in meetings and workshops boasting the benefits of
many different note-taking strategies. Meeting the needs of all of the different learners
continues to be an area of concern in my classroom. As a junior and senior teacher of
anatomy and physiology I must consider both meeting the needs of my differing students as
content knowledge is reviewed, and preparing my students for their educational continuation
in college. In this drive to attend to both of these needs, I find a portion of my instructional
minutes used for lecture presentation of content material as this is the method commonly used
by college professors. Knowing that this is not always the best way to meet the needs of all of
my students – rather, catering primarily to those students who are strong auditory learners
only – I have started using a series of diagrams and pictures in my presentations of material.
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In these classes, students are instructed in content material through the use of these diagrams
and pictures as they reconstruct each diagram in their own notes. Through this method, it is
my desire that students are given the “lecture” preparation they will need to have practice with
as they enter a college educational setting but that I have, in conjunction with labs and
activities, still presented the material in a multimodal fashion that will reach more than just
the auditory learners in my room.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this research is to consider whether this use of “picture notes” as
presented in my classroom is an effective means through which to teach content material to
the different learning styles in my classroom. I am particularly focusing on the effectiveness
of the use of picture notes on the comprehension and retention of the course material for each
of the varying learning styles that are present in the classroom.
Importance of the Study
The information gained from this study will allow me to determine if the use of picture
notes in my classroom is an effective means of presenting information in addition to, or in
combination with traditional methods to more effectively reach students of different learning
styles. This will allow me to make a decision to continue using this method of presentation or
search for another means by which to better meet the needs of my students. It will also allow
some insight into whether students find this method of information presentation more
engaging and motivational than traditional verbal presentations which may be useful to some
of my colleagues who may also be struggling to find the best ways to present information to
their students. Lastly, this study will help increase student awareness and analysis of the
diagrams in their texts as a means of content presentation and examination.
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Definition of Terms
“Picture notes” are diagrams or processes presented sequentially, through the use of an
overhead projector, so that the “picture” is revealed in a step-wise fashion. Students are given
a starter page for each set of picture notes that they add to as the overheads are revealed and
portions of the material are discussed and/or analyzed. Students end up with their own
representation of the material as copied from the teacher’s overhead sample. My picture notes
are done in permanent marker on overhead transparency so that they can be used repeatedly
throughout the day and for many years, without the need to re-draw diagrams each period; the
ink is not transferred to fingers or accidentally rubbed off of the transparency. (Sample to be
included in Appendix)
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
In attempting to answer if picture notes of diagrams and process taught in biology and
human anatomy and physiology are an effective means of presenting material to students and
are more motivational than traditional lecture material I first considered many areas of
research. I began by looking at current research and information on the differing learning
styles that students may have with an emphasis on the visual learner, I also considered how
diagrams have been used in many educational fields, including the sciences. Lastly, I
considered how these practices can affect the motivation of students.
Different Learning Styles
People learn in many different ways and “students have preferences for the ways in
which they receive information” (Lujan and DiCarlo, 2005, p.13). James and Gardner (1995)
define a learning style as “the complex manner in which, and conditions under which, learners
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most efficiently and most effectively perceive, process, store, and recall what they are
attempting to learn” (as sited in Lujan and DiCarlo, 2005, p.13). This explains why certain
methods work better for some learners than others in our classrooms. If material is presented
to a student in a way that allows the student to better understand and process the information,
then the student will be able to store that information and recall it as needed for activities,
assessments, and future situations.
We are not all alike; each of us has preferences for the ways that we learn content
material. “One characterization of learning styles is to define the learners’ preferred mode of
learning in terms of the sensory modality by which they prefer to take in new information”
(Lujan et al., 2005, p. 13). Neil Fleming has categorized four modes of learning using our
senses. These four categories include: visual, aural, reading/writing, kinesthetic; or VARK to
use Fleming’s acronym for the modes of learning. Using this categorization,
…visual learners learn through seeing drawings, pictures, and other image-rich
teaching tools. Auditory learners learn by listening to lectures, exploring
material through discussions, and talking through ideas. Reading/writing
learners learn through interaction with textual materials, whereas kinesthetic
learners learn through touching and experiences that emphasize doing, physical
involvement, and manipulation of objects. (Lujan et al., 2005, p.13)
It is important to mention though, that people are usually not reliant on solely one mode of
learning; “although learners can use all of these sensory modes of learning, one mode is often
dominant and preferred” (Lujan et al., 2005, p.13). This is extremely important for teachers,
who are charged daily with the learning of their students, to realize as we create lessons to
convey content knowledge to our students. A multimodal approach will allow material to be
understood and processed by a greater number of our students.
Visual Learners
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Since it applies most to my classroom situation and practice I have focused on the
visual learners in my classroom. If, as a teacher, I am presenting material strictly through the
use of lecture (an auditory mode of content transfer) with the support of labs and inquiry
activities (a kinesthetic mode of transfer) I may be overlooking those students who are very
strong visual learners. Without the ability to properly examine the diagrams and charts in
their texts on their own these students would be “left behind” and therefore are the focus of
my picture notes. “Visual learners remember best what they see, such as pictures, diagrams,
flow charts, timelines, films, and demonstrations” (Clarke, Flaherty and Yankey, 2006,
p.218). The picture notes used in my classroom all focus on the items above, things that are
sometimes difficult to present in a verbal construct and still see connections.
The majority of my students are following an educational plan that will eventually
lead them to a college educational setting. Researchers have found that “more than 40% of
college students confirmed as visual learners” (as cited by Clarke et al., 2006, p.218);
therefore I need to be aware that a good portion of my class will learn best utilizing a visual
representations of material. “Because visual learners learn best through sight, pictorial
depictions of the materials become central to memory” (Clarke et al, 206, p.219). This does
not mean that they are all unable to learn using another teaching modality:
Most students are able to learn effectively as long as the teacher provides a
blend of visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic activities. However,
some students prefer one of the modalities over the other three so strongly that
they struggle to understand the subject matter unless special care is taken to
present it in their preference mode. To meet these needs, teaching should be
multisensory and filled with variety. (Lujan et al., 2006, p. 15)
Science material is an ideal subject for presentation to visual learners since so much of the
material incorporates diagrammatic representation of structures and processes or functions
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can easily be arranged in to flow charts and timelines. All other modalities are also easily
covered with lectures, lab activities and reading/writing assignments.
It is also important to remember that as the population of Los Angeles county becomes
more diverse we begin to encounter more students in our schools and classrooms that are
learning English as a second language. Until recently, this has not been a major concern of all
teachers in the William S. Hart High School district, but it is becoming a more important
focus for all schools within the district as our population is changing. “When working with
ELLs [English Language Learners]…teachers need to increase the use of techniques that are
less reliant on oral and written English to make information comprehensible. This is
particularly important in junior and senior high school classrooms where concepts become
more abstract and language more dense” (Carrier, 2006, p.131). Some of the strategies that
are encouraged for ELL students include many of the same strategies one would use with a
visual learner including the use of pictures, videos, graphic organizers and demonstrations as
well as activities that are hands-on (Carrier, 2006).
Using Diagrams
As discussed above, the use of diagrams is extremely important to the learning process
of the visual learner. This comes in part due to “our mind’s eye-brain system [which]
naturally seeks out these types of two-dimensional figures in the environment” (Ward and
Wandersee, 2002, p.577). Through the use of picture notes, material that could be presented
to students in a written or auditory mode is presented visually through diagrams and
flowcharts. Carrier (2006) says that “graphic organizers can be used in all the content areas to
show relationships, comparisons, processes, causes and effects, and attributes of important
information…Graphic organizers also present critical information in a format that is less
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visually intimidating that full text” (p. 134, 135). Presentation of material in a diagrammatic
manner or through the use of flowcharts or other graphic organizer may help students to
organize and reflect on information thereby increasing student comprehension of material and
content learning.
Diagrams and other visual learning tools have been used successfully in the training of
students in undergraduate principles of marketing courses (Clarke et al., 2006). The use of
Roundhouse diagrams have positively impacted low-performing students in middle school
science courses (Ward and Wandersee, 2002) and visual representations of material are
recommended as appropriate strategies for teaching and assessing the content knowledge of
students who are English language learners (Carrier, 2002). Since this strategy is affective for
many different kinds of learners, college undergraduates to low-performing students, English
language learners and native speakers of English, it could be an affect teaching method in any
classroom; I am curious, therefore, to look at its effectiveness in my own classroom setting.
Student Motivation
The question remains as to how the use of picture notes, rather than solely traditional
lecture will impact student motivation for learning content material. Clarke, Flaherty and
Yankey (2006) state that “it is suggested that if the instructional technique is made compatible
with a student’s learning style, they may learn more, retain information longer, and even
possess a more positive attitude toward the subject matter” (p. 223). Lujan and DiCarlo make
reference to this as well, “student motivation and performance improves when instruction is
adapted to student learning preferences and styles” (p. 13).
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
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Participants
This study will involve the students in my classes at Saugus High School in Saugus,
California, one of six high school campuses in the William S. Hart High School district. The
campus is located near the northern edge of Los Angeles County in the City of Santa Clarita,
with the campus serving primarily the residents of Saugus and North Valencia. The City of
Santa Clarita is the 24th largest city in State of California; the fourth largest in the county of
Los Angeles. The residents within the city are considered to be an upper-middle class
population. Demographics of the 2,593 students at Saugus reveal that student ethnicity is
67% white, 20.9% Hispanic, 2.4% African-American, 5.1% Asian/Pacific Islander and .02%
Filipino. 71% of Saugus parents have completed some college or more; 11% have postgraduate degrees (Spansel, Fricke and Hamburger, 2007). The classes that are a part of this
research study will consist of two classes of elective human anatomy and physiology students;
approximately 58% of human anatomy and physiology students are eleventh graders and 42%
are twelfth graders. Class size averages 33 and students are 57% female and 43% male.
Materials
To conduct this study, the researcher will compare the comprehension of content
material presented verbally, supplemented with PowerPoint presentation to material presented
with an emphasis on diagrams, illustrations, and a variety of graphic organizers supplemented
through the use of picture notes. The researcher will design the PowerPoint and picture notes
to be presented in accordance with the text.
The researcher will begin by administering a survey to determine the predominant
learning styles of the students in the classroom. This will be done so that a comparison can
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more easily be made between the effectiveness of picture notes vs. traditional presentation for
the visual learner. (Sample to be included in Appendix)
Effectiveness of the use of picture notes will be measured for all students, through a
comparison of pre- and post- test scores on material. For both classes, the first four chapters
of text will be presented in a traditional manner; the second four chapters of text will be
presented with notes being taken in picture format. Comparisons of warm up & exit quiz
scores, test scores, and lab scores will be used to indicate the effectiveness of the presentation
method on the learning achieved by the students.
Students will also be surveyed at the conclusion of the research period to provide
feedback on what they thought was a more effective method, whether they felt they were able
to learn better with one method or another, and if they have a greater appreciation for the
significance of the diagrams in their text and feel they can better analyze the material
presented in visual format. (Sample to be included in Appendix)
Procedures
This study will run for 18 weeks during the fall semester, between August and
December 2007. The study will incorporate a minimum of four chapters of material presented
utilizing each method.
The researcher will survey students only at the beginning for their learning style
preference, and at the end for their feedback on effectiveness and motivation. The researcher
will compare pre- and post- test scores for each chapter.
Analysis
To analyze the data collected in this research, the researcher will quantitatively
analyze test scores from pre- and post-tests administered for each chapter. Mean scores for
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each testing group will be compared and presented in tables. Effectiveness of each teaching
method will be compared.
In order to analyze the data collected in surveys and with field notes, the researcher
will examine the data and find patterns and trends in the data. The researcher will create a
data coding system that will be used to organize and analyze the student responses generated
from surveys and student behaviors as recorded in field notes.
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References
Carrier, K.A. (2006). Improving comprehension and assessment of English language learners
using MMIO. The Clearing House, 79(3), 131-136.
Irvine, C., Flaherty, T. B., & Yankey, M. (2006). Teaching the visual learner: the use of
visual summaries in marketing education. Journal of Marketing Education, 28(3),
218-226.
Lujan, H. L., & DiCarlo, S. E. (2006). First-year medical students prefer multiple learning
styles. Advances in Physiology Education, 30, 13-16.
Spansel, M., Fricke, M., & Hamburger, D. (2007). Saugus High School WASC Focus on
Learning Self-Study Report: Mid-term Review. Unpublished manuscript.
Ward, R. E. & Wandersee, J. H. (2002). Struggling to understand abstract science topics: a
Roundhouse diagram-based study. International Journal of Science Education, 24(6),
575-591.