Barbara Tversky (Minds in Motion) discusses the cognitive power of cartoons to explain abstract concepts. In these three images, I have used cartoons to sequence events. There is a direct correspondence between the cartoon and the graph(s) below it.
Distance-Time Graph and Velocity Time Graph for a projectile.
Velocity-Time graph of a bouncing ball
Parachute Terminal Velocity Graph
These cartoon/graph pairings allow the reader to jump up and down the ladder of abstraction (see here).
18 years secondary teacher: 4 years primary. MA in SciEd, member of IoP (serving on the Education Committee) and Chartered Science Teacher. Author of 'Big Ideas of Physics and How to Teach Them.' Director of Curriculum and Pedagogy for Paradigm Trust.
View all posts by BenRogers
1 Comment
Love it. These could be used to get students to sketch the graphs or to write a story explaining the motion from the graph itself.
Reading for Learning 
Love it. These could be used to get students to sketch the graphs or to write a story explaining the motion from the graph itself.
LikeLike