n the group - "the sun goes behind the clouds so it goes duller not dark" and "the sun is powerful so the light goes through the clouds". Learners were frequently able to make explicit the process which they had gone through in developing their ideas. One student wrote about how the concept cartoons "really made me change my mind" after discussing some concept cartoons with fellow students.
Several examples were quoted of the concept cartoons acting as a stimulus for investigation. One situation was described where "within 10 minutes the whole group were engaged in active investigations". Another teacher remarked on how the concept cartoons led to pupils testing out their ideas with "no further prompting". Pupils noted that "you can see what the problem is" and talked about being "unable to wait" to investigate their ideas. Although there were rare instances where the individual or group involved seemed reluctant to engage in investigation, a ready progression from discussion to investigation was the usual response.
Motivation and involvement
Without exception teachers using the concept cartoons commented on the high levels of involvement of the learners. This was evident across the whole range of teaching situations observed. It was particularly notable that the concept cartoons encouraged involvement amongst pupils who are normally reluctant to get involved in discussion, enabling pupils who do not normally converse much about science to articulate their ideas more readily.
The level of motivation in each situation evaluated was described as high. Teachers remarked on the speed and ease with which discussions started. The success of the concept cartoons in enthusing pupils with low levels of motivation was noted by both pupils and teachers - "There are lots of naughty children in our class but we are busy and better behaved . . . even Dennis, the naughtiest boy in our class, wanted to stay in at the end of the lesson to carry on with the cartoons" was the comment from some 12 year old pupils in an inner city school. The visual impact of the concept cartoons was emphasised by one pupil's comment that "it beats written work any day!"
The initial judgements about the value of this approach in our own teaching have been replicated with a variety of groups in many different teaching situations. These include primary and secondary schools, pupils with special educational needs, pupils learning English as a second language, undergraduate and postgraduate students, primary and secondary school teachers and parents. Although the clarity of some of the concept cartoons has had to be improved, teachers generally found them remarkably easy to use and effective in their outcomes. "You just photocopy and go!" was how one teacher described the process.
Other outcomes have emerged from the research to extend the potential value for the concept cartoons. Differentiation was one significant issue. Although an attempt had been made to produce material which was accessible at a range of levels, we had not anticipated enabling such a wide degree of access as was shown with many of the cartoons. In some instances (Figure 4) the same concept cartoon generated considerable interest in groups ranging from young children to adults holding degrees in physics! One teacher also noted how it was possible to illustrate progression of ideas within her class through the pupils' responses to the concept cartoons.
The use of concept cartoons as a means of enabling restructuring of ideas to occur seems particularly significant. As noted earlier, guidance on how to restructure the learners' ideas is less well documented than the ideas that they hold and how to elicit them. Concept cartoons which illustrate alternative viewpoints appear to provide an important extension to the range of strategies currently available to teachers. They appear to offer a valuable strategy in a variety of teaching situations and with pupils covering a wide range of ages and capabilities.
Another significant point is the way that the concept cartoons frequently enabled the elic