Concept Mapping as a Pedagogical Tool in Differentiated Teaching Practice for Students
1Concept Mapping as a Pedagogical Tool in Differentiated Teaching Practice for Students with Learning Disabilities in Greek High Schools
Layman Abstract : This study explores the use of concept mapping as a teaching tool to help high school students with learning disabilities better understand mechanics, a core topic in physics. In Greece, teaching methods for students with learning challenges are often limited, as teachers must follow strict curriculum guidelines without much flexibility. This research examines whether concept mapping—a method that visually connects key ideas—can improve learning outcomes for these students.
The study was conducted over an entire school year in a physics resource room for students with learning disabilities. The researchers compared two teaching approaches:
Concept mapping was used to teach the concept of energy, where students visually linked ideas using colors, images, and diagrams to reinforce learning.
A traditional method was used to teach pressure, without visual mapping, to compare results.
Students' understanding was assessed before and after lessons in both approaches. The study found that concept mapping helped students better understand and retain physics concepts, improved their ability to connect ideas, and encouraged their participation. These findings suggest that concept mapping could be an effective way to support students with learning disabilities in science education. The study also highlights the need for further research and more flexible teaching practices in Greek high schools.
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Original Abstract : The present study highlights about concept mapping as a Pedagogical tool in Differentiated Teaching Practice for Students with Learning Disabilities in Greek High Schools. Mechanics is a basic element of Physics and the main subject of the relevant course in the second grade of Greek high school. The main educational implications in the field of mechanics refer to the instruction of essential concepts such as force, pressure and energy. However, there is a research gap regarding the teaching of mechanics and the methods used to aid students with learning disabilities, especially in Greece. Teachers must often cater the diverse needs of the inclusive student population while simultaneously trying to meet the requirements of the mandated curriculum, with predefined educational goals, not given initiative to modify the content or teaching method accordingly to their students’ profile and needs. In this paper, a case study of teaching mechanics were presented to students with learning disabilities in the second grade of a general Greek high school. The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation and the efficacy of teaching mechanics to students with learning disabilities of the second grade of a Greek high school, using conceptual mapping. Generally, concept mapping can contribute to an effective learning in the field of science, lead to a deeper understanding of complex concepts and eradicate misconceptions, in a way that benefits especially students with learning disabilities. Concept mapping is one of the important approach for emphasizing the relation between concepts of physics, for example the relation of the concept of velocity to the concept of distance and time. The structured and hierarchical way to represent concepts, the emergence of relations between concepts and the variety in the presentation of information using a variety of colors, images, shapes, sketches and graphics, could help students with learning disabilities use the conceptual map as a tool for revision, learn the scientific terminology, consolidate the new information on their long-term memory and activate their involvement in the teaching process. As for the conduction of our research, an experimental teaching procedure took place, throughout an entire school year, in a physics resource room for students with learning disabilities of the second grade of a general high school, using conceptual mapping, during a sequence of successive instructions for the concept of energy. The questions asked by the student with learning disabilities during the instructions were recorded and analyzed to define his interest in mechanics with the use of conceptual mapping.
View Book: https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/aoller/v9/3717
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