Developing Thinking Skills among Third Grade (Class 4) Pupils in Some Elementary Practising Schools in Edéa, Cameroon Using Lessons on the Human Skeleton
The objective of this study was to introduce an educational tool in primary school that could facilitate the development of thinking skills in learners. Klopfer’s taxonomy of educational objectives was used to introduce the fundamental notion of the hypothetico-deductive theory aimed at immersing the class into task situations of identifying the educational aspects in a lesson. A total of 270 Class 4 (third graders) participated in the study. Result revealed that at the pretest, the mean performance of those in the control group was 9.53/20 and for those in the experimental group it was 9.09/20. Up to one month following experimentation, pupils in the experimental group registered an improved mean performance (11.33/20) in the posttest, while the control group registered a drop (8.84/20) compared to their mean pretest performances. Those in the experimental group further showed greater interest and involvement in the construction of their knowledge and thinking skill compared to those in the control group. The approach appeared to be beneficial to both pupils and teachers. It places learners in a teaching/learning situation that motivates the development of thinking and problem-solving skills.
Cite this paper
Mothia, J. , Noumi, E. and Nditafon, G. (2015). Developing Thinking Skills among Third Grade (Class 4) Pupils in Some Elementary Practising Schools in Edéa, Cameroon Using Lessons on the Human Skeleton. Open Access Library Journal, 2, e2071. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1102071.
Noumi, E.
(2008) Illustrated Didactics of the Life and Earth Sciences and
Docimology: A Guide for Teachers of Secondary High Schools. GIC ICSSC Edition, Yaoundé. (Reprographed)
Noumi, E. (2013) Competency-Based
Approach: A More Active, More Innovating and More Durable Training; Case of the
Lesson on the Cell in 1st Year of the Higher Teachers’ Training
College of the University of Yaoundé I. Crown Research in Education, 3, 13-21.
Nditafon, G.N. and
Noumi, E. (2014) Enhancing the Construction
and Appropriation of Scientific Knowledge for Reinvestment in Seeking Solutions
to Problems in New Contexts: Case of a Lesson on Sexual Reproduction in Flowering
Plants among Second Year Learners of the General Secondary Education in
Yaoundé, Cameroon. International Journal
of Science and Research,3, 691-696.
Noumi, E. and Nditafon, G. (2015) Didactic Transposition of the Alternative
Knowledge of the Brazilian Telenovela “O Clone” to Knowledge Taught. International Journal of Science and
Research, 4,
508-519.
Noumi,
E. (2014) Novel Approach to Promote Logical Thinking among Higher
Education Students: A Lesson Plan on the Coconut Fruit in Second Year of the Higher Teachers’ Training College of the
University of Yaoundé I. Crown Research
in Education, 4, 28-47.
Brousseau, G. (1989) Epistemological Obstacles
and the Didactics of Mathematics. In: Bednarz, N. and Garnier, C., Eds., Construction of Knowledge, Editions Agenced’ARC, Montréal, CIRADE, 41-63.
Bloom, B.S., Ed. (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I:
Cognitive Domain. In: Klopfer, L.E., Ed., Student Behavior and Science Content Categories and Subcategories for a
Science Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, 62 p.