Download An Analogy for the Respiratory System that Help

What Teachers Should Know About How To Help Students Gain a
Deeper Understanding of New Material
Analogies Support Understanding and Recognition
My years of experience in the trenches as a classroom teacher have reinforced continually the
value of analogies as a teaching and learning tool to help students gain a deeper
understanding of new material. Analogies that are drawn from student experience and that
can be connected to new information have been successful in my efforts to get a point across
or foster memorization more so than most any other method.
An Analogy for the Respiratory System that Help Students Gain A Deeper
Understanding of the Parts of the Body
When I taught Science, my co-teacher and I would alternate introductions to the units. When
it was my turn to introduce the respiratory system, I struggled to help students find a way to
understand parts of the body that they could not physically see. The ceramic models we had
available to us were lacking, to say the least, and did not connect to understandings that
students already had in place.
Respiratory System Analogy
I will admit that it took time to find physical objects to represent all the parts of the
respiratory system, however, I found it a fun challenge, a game in a sense. The morning that
I was introducing the lesson, I showed up to class with two pillow cases filled with my
analogous objects. As I dumped the items on the table, my co-teacher looked at me in
confusion and surprise. I explained my plan and laid the objects out in the same order they
would be used as air passed through the body.
The Teens Rolled Their Eyes… At First
When the time came for me to share this experiment with the students, I gathered them
around the table and explained my process. I will admit that, given these were 10th graders
and unused to such methods, I got some rolled eyes and teasing about what I had done.
Undaunted, I began the lesson.
As I proceeded, I saw understanding reflected in the student’s eyes and heard it in their
responses. “What would happen to a vacuum cleaner hose when I turned on the vacuum if
there were no metal rings to hold it open?” “It would collapse and stick together. No air would
be able to get through.” one student answered. Others agreed and grasped the concept.
“Ok,” I explained, “Just like the vacuum cleaner hose has metal rings to keep it open as air
passes through, the trachea has cartilage rings to keep it open when we breathe and air
passes through.”
The Analogy for the Respiratory System Clicked
I could see it start to click with the students. The analogy worked. If you don’t have time to
find objects to represent concepts you are teaching, assign it for homework. Let students
create the analogies. The only time I would not suggest this is if you are studying the
reproductive system.
Research Background on Using Analogies to Teach
When people use analogies to learn a new topic or solve a problem, they have a higher
success rate because they make connections between new knowledge and familiar ideas or
models (schema).
According to one study, when three groups of people were asked to solve a medical problem,
75% of the group that was told to use an analogy to solve the problem was successful.
Analogies prove to be a useful tool in the classroom. Rule and Furletti (WHO ARE THEY)
found that form and analogy boxes improved student performance when learning about
different body systems. Analogy boxes contain objects and cards that demonstrate similarities
between the new concept (i.e. the eye of the nervous system) and the analogy (a camera
lens).
Students will enjoy higher levels of success when they are very familiar with the analogies
used. In a study by Friedel, Gabel, and Samuel, teachers often used analogies that related to
their own experience and, as a result, students failed to understand the relationships between
the new concept and analogy. Teachers must choose analogies that their students will
understand as well as emphasize the limits of the analogy to prevent student misconception.
Copyright © 2014, Susan Fitzell & Aim Hi Educational Programs, LLC. First published April
10, 2014.
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Susan Fitzell, M. Ed, CSP, is a nationally recognized presenter, author of nine books for
teachers, trainers, and parents, an educational consultant, and CEO of Aim Hi Educational
Programs, LLC. As an independent consultant and coach, Susan offers the personalization,
continuity, and consistency necessary for true change in any organization. She works side by
side with teachers, school administrators, and business leaders as a coach and trainer,
employing Brain Power strategies that take learning to the next level.
For more information, visit Susan's website at www.susanfitzell.com.
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