ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the texts that explain how various physical, mechanical, and biological systems work such as how lightning storms develop, how a car's braking system works, or how a bicycle tire pump works. It focuses on how to help learners understand scientific text that explains how something works. The chapter restricts our focus to one type of rhetorical structure, namely explanative text, because explanations are at the heart of scientific understanding. It examines the limitations of relying exclusively on verbal modes of presentation. The chapter explores the ways of incorporating illustrations with text in book-based environments. It also examines the role of individual differences in learning from text and illustrations. The chapter proposes the prior-knowledge principle: Implement design principles particularly for low-knowledge rather than high-knowledge learners. The authors' research demonstrates that it is possible to foster active learning from passive media.