All of the water was then poured back into the jug. The process was then repeated, except all of the water was poured into a short, wide plastic beaker, then back into the jug. It is important to note that the containers had exactly the same cubic volume and that all of the water was poured into first one container, then back into the jug, and then the other container. Also, the beaker that was filled first was changed every time. All of the learners in the class saw the demonstration individually and out of view from the rest of the class.
After each experiment was complete, the learner was asked which beaker contained the most water, or if they both contained the same amount of water. Even the orders of the questions were changed each time another learner was tested. Even though each beaker contained the same volume of water, every learner in the class replied that the taller beaker contained the most water, proving the conservation theory to be correct because the learners did not realise that the volume of water stays the same when it is placed into a different container, even though they saw the same volume of water being poured each time. .
What I found to be most interesting about this experiment was not the result, because that was largely expected. It was the learners' response to the experiment. Even at this early age they were totally involved with the experiment and were almost transfixed by it. They did not become bored or disinterested with it, as I expected they might, considering the short attention span that children have at this age. .
I wanted to discover whether or not this fascination with practical work is still present as a child develops mentally and physically. I also wanted to examine the reasons behind the popularity of practical work, as well as how to teach an effective practical class.
Another reason for choosing this topic is that active learning and learning how to learn and think are especially important for the weaker students.
