A Case Study of a Science Class for Anatomy of Fish Using a Jigsaw Puzzle as a Teaching Tool

Abstract

In order that pupils have a better general idea of internal organs of fish anatomy, we developed a jigsaw puzzle printed with a picture of a fish's internal organs as a teaching tool. Our experimental trial during two weeks was applied to sixth-grade pupils at a public elementary school. At the start of each of the six lessons, fifteen minutes were allocated as follows: the pupils in the Experimental Group put the pieces of the puzzle together, those of Control Group 1 repeatedly received a short test, and those of Control Group 2 took conventional lessons. The pre- and post-tests results from the trial, and the achievement test conducted one month later suggested that compared to Control Groups 1 and 2, the Experimental Group understood the contents of the anatomy lesson substantially better. Furthermore, the comments from the pupils in the Experimental Group suggest that putting the pieces together deepened their understanding of the roles of the internal organs. It could be inferred that, through a subconscious link to the sense perception of the pieces and by putting them together they understood better the function of a fish's internal organs.