Illustration And Teaching (4)

Sometimes, things that appear straight forward to the teacher may not be so to the students. Take for example, the concept of pressure which is given by the formula P = F/A. If we just explain how the pressure P is affected by the factors F and A these algebraic symbol may not trigger any meaning to the students, especially those who are not too mathematically inclined. The best way to bring the message across to all the pupils is to contextualise the concept of pressure. Some 'hands-on' activities can be very helpful. The illustration provided here can effectively 'switch on' the students. A couple is having a dance and the lady accidently steps on the man's leg. While students will surely know that the injury caused by a high-heeled shoe is greater than a flat-heeled shoe, they may not be able to explain why. So the illustration used here is more or less like an induction set that leads students to the concept of pressure. With further elaborations and contextual examples, we can put more life into the formula P = F/A. This is what we call a lively lesson.