However, there is strong evidence that presenting facts will not help children develop understandings that they can apply and build upon. Several techniques, however, can be used to present information in powerful ways. Using analogies and metaphors, presenting graphs, showing movies or videos and educational television programs, and showing diagrams or pictures can be a powerful ways to represent information. Guest speakers often can present information in interesting ways that tie to a project, and community resources are great sources for information. We will discuss each of these strategies in the following sections of this chapter.
Teachers can also present information in more active ways.
For instance, teachers can present information to students by allowing them to do short activities. After the activity, students will better remember information than if the teacher told them the information. Role playing, investigation centers, and field trips are also active ways to present information. We will cover these topics in this section as well. Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies Metaphors, similes, and analogies provide a method for students to become actively involved in constructing meaningful knowledge by linking new ideas or concepts to prior knowledge or previous experiences.