Making Sense of a Biochemistry Learning Process and Teacher’s Empathy: Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Using Emoji Symbols

Abstract

Teaching biochemistry concepts can be a challenging task, as it requires learners and teachers to integrate abstract concepts from chemistry and biology. Students struggle to grasp the molecular processes, as they find it difficult to visualize them. Incorporating Information Communication Technology (ICT) implementations during lessons is known to encourage learners’ involvement in a collaborative learning process and is especially effective when training preservice teachers (PSTs). In the current study, we describe an example in which the teacher plays an important role in creating the Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) in this environment to encourage peer learning while coping with complicated material. We believe that one of the important components in guiding such peer work is the teacher’s ability to sense each group’s progress and to employ empathy in the classroom as a tool for coping with the difficulty and challenge of acquiring new knowledge and for creating a productive dialog between groups that disagree. In this example, the process of Information Communication Technology (ICT) implementation encouraged the preservice teachers (PSTs) to create an alternative set of symbols, which eventually served as a “language” and help them understand the biochemical processes.

1. Introduction

1.1 Empathy in teacher instruction

Typically, teachers use information about how students are doing to gauge the success of their instructional strategies and reflect on their own experience during teaching [1]. Teaching becomes a profession when teachers practice with a common knowledge base and apply their knowledge to effective, well-supervised practice [1].

In science education, as in other fields of education, exploring the relationship between what is learned and how it is learned [2] is central to the teaching professions. It affects lesson planning, in-class strategies, and the evaluation process. Focusing on teachers’ actions and habits reveals teachers’ underlying work assumptions about their joint work with students, and it allows learning the transformation of the habitual way students can use while learning [3]. As Singer and Lamm [4] have argued, being “social animals” enables us to not only communicate and interact with each other in effective and pleasant ways, but also to predict the actions, intentions, and feelings of others. Relying on this predictive type of insight activates empathy. Hence, focusing on affective communication could be an efficient way for teacher educators (TEs) to learn from and about their preservice teachers (PSTs)’ affective states and attitudes, enhance their reflective and empathic in-class practices, and enable them to provide feedback that is better targeted to the group’s needs during educational interactions [5]. In turn, by consciously observing the teacher educators’ modeling behavior, PSTs will learn to help their future students understand what determines their affective empathic responses and develop and maintain cognitive empathic abilities as well [6].

1.2 Teaching chemistry

Over the last several years, educators involved in teaching chemistry have been wondering what kinds of changes need to be integrated into the curricula [7, 8, 9] and into the pedagogies in this field [10, 11, 12], to cater to learners in the twenty-first century, and era characterized by frequent changes and uncertainty. One of the major questions that need to be addressed is how to harness students’ curiosity and motivates them to pursue a course of studies in chemistry [13].

1.3 Curiosity for learning

Curiosity is often described as the desire to seek and experience new stimuli [14]. Teachers can demonstrate to their students the relevance of the topics studied and thus create interest and pique their curiosity. This can be done by developing students’ future-oriented skills and/or their intellectual abilities [15, 16]. By developing students’ curiosity regarding this field, the studies can encourage them to ask themselves questions and take responsibility for their learning and, as a result, increase their motivation to learn and their achievements [17, 18, 19]. An interesting approach is the use of uncertainty as a teaching tool to develop learners’ curiosity, thus disassociating from a negative affect. In this manner, uncertainty is leveraged in the learning process as a way of developing and encouraging curiosity [20].

1.4 Learning styles

To harness the curiosity of learners with different learning styles, teachers need to integrate a variety of teaching methods to make the learning environment appealing. There are various definitions for learning styles; as mentioned in Brown, the term refers to the way individuals receive and process information in a learning context [21]. Different students learn differently: some are visual learners while others are auditory or kinesthetic learners. Some students are apt to prefer one learning style over others, whereas others may enjoy a combination of various learning styles. Consequently, it is important that teachers engage the students and pique their curiosity by applying a variety of teaching methods that address the various learning styles [22]. Students who learn better visually will benefit from the use of pictures or visual representations. Those who prefer auditory learning are likely to benefit from reading or listening to a text being read. For kinesthetic learners, the optimal conditions for learning involve physical interaction with the environment [23].

1.5 Visual learning in the sciences

The use of visual models can facilitate learning in various ways: it helps in problem-solving, can serve to close gaps in students’ epistemic knowledge, and help construct and/or convey knowledge [24, 25]. Visual representations can help introduce information, as in visual scene through microscope, or help in the development of an idea, as in the use of the double helix by Watson and Crick. It can also demonstrate connections and concepts, as an example of sound waves [25, 26]. Hence, visual representations and models have a critical role in the learning as well as in the development of science [27].

Models constitute a simpler representation of the target of the discussion. This target can be an object, a material, a phenomenon, or a process [28]. When preparing a visual representation of any target, it must be assumed that there are similarities between the model and the target that create a parallelism, although there are also differences. The main role of visual representations is to clarify meaning by describing the target. Representations and models are not a precise way to develop and examine an idea. As a result, models provide an efficient and convenient mode of communication among scientists in the field of chemistry [29].

1.6 Teaching the citric acid cycle

Teaching biochemistry concepts can be a challenging task, as it requires learners and teachers to integrate abstract processes and concepts from both chemistry and biology. Students struggle to grasp these molecular and cellular processes as they find it difficult to imagine and visualize them [30, 31].

Glycolysis and the citric acid cycle (or Krebs cycle) (Figure 1) are major aspects in the process of cellular respiration. Students usually find it difficult to understand the chemical processes involved [32], because these include several stages that take place sequentially. While the glycol lysis is a multistaged process, the citric acid cycle is cyclical and includes 10 reactions and several enzymes that perform the chemical processes in the cell. Consequently, teachers seek approaches and a variety of creative strategies to teach these processes to twenty-first-century learners [33, 34, 35].

Figure 1.

The citric acid cycle (or Krebs cycle).

1.7 Peer learning

Peer learning is a way of learning (also referred to as peeragogy) that claims that learners are given an opportunity to practice knowledge sharing, responsibility, and power [36]. Peer learning is important because in contrast to the teacher is an expert in a given field, students are expert learning, and therefore, it is natural that they should be able to assist other learners in the same situation [37]. Shared learning is effective for internationalizing knowledge, promoting problem-solving, and structuring knowledge [38, 39]. However, in the process of shared learning, there are also limitations and challenges related to the variety of opinions among students and to the need to negotiate in the course of the knowledge construction process [40]. In these situations, teachers play an extremely important role in monitoring and stimulating the types of interactions between students that will promote learning [41, 42].

1.8 Computer-supported collaborative learning

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is a research-based pedagogical theory. Using CSCL may help encourage and promote collaborative peer learning, because the technology supports the sharing of ideas and encourages social interaction [43].

Peer learning requires precise accompanying actions on the part of the teacher; hence, choosing to use CSCL to promote peer learning has certain advantages. The use of a technological environment allows the teacher to follow the interactions among the students and thus target the pedagogical strategies used by each group according to the group’s needs [44]. Although during peer learning, the teacher is not the sole source of information used to construct knowledge; nevertheless, the teacher has other critical roles in guiding the peer learning process [41].

The following research questions were formulated:

1. How did the PSTs perceive their responses to this CSCL model and its related activities?

2. What pedagogical insights can be drawn from this experience?

2. Methodology

2.1 The action research paradigm

Action research plays an important role in improving educational practices. It requires analysis and change on both the individual and the group level [45]. Kemmis and colleagues [46] defined such participatory action as a joint commitment of all parties involved to engage in iterative cycles of collaborative planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, intended to address positive and negative inadvertent consequences of practices. A new focus on action research in the field of science education, which was recently introduced by Burmeister and Eilks [47], draws a connection between action research and teachers’ professional development. Specifically, their study shifted the focus of action research in science education from curriculum development to teachers’ continuous professional development by making action research a self-reflective endeavor. Thus, to promote their professional development, university teacher educators are now encouraged to perform action research on their own practices [48]. The focus of this type of self-reflective qualitative research is on the actions, thoughts, and feelings of the research participants [49].

In the current study, the participants were the first author in the role of TE, the second author in the role of the critical friend (CF), and a digital pedagogy counselor (DPC), whose role was to supervise the CSCL implementation. These three constituted the educational team. The remaining participants were the 13 PSTs who were enrolled in a course taught by the TE. The aim of the study was to answer the following question: How did the TE experience and perceive:

1. her activities involving the CSCL pedagogy,

2. the PSTs’ responses to said activities, and

3. the contribution of the process to her professional development as a TE?

Based on Laudonia and colleagues’ modes of action research [50], the focus of this study was on researching a specific “knowledge-generating” action, which constituted an innovation that the TE’s introduced into her classroom setting. The purpose was to conduct a process that demands a collaborative style involving reciprocity, commitment, and the involvement of all participants. This collaborative learning with colleagues aims to rethink and reframe practices, an activity that takes on added significance for the continued development of the TE [47].

Action research is regarded as a practitioner-oriented inquiry into participants’ work [51]; hence, in the current context, it required the PSTs’ involvement [52], as well as the involvement of the professional team members, who shared the responsibility for the TE’s professional development [53]. Lessons learned from each change were addressed in the coming weekly meeting.

2.2 Ethical issues

The TE was personally responsible for the teaching process, the PSTs, and the action research. At the same time, she sought to explore the development of the course, as well as her professional contribution as a TE. In a similar vein, the PSTs who agreed to take part in the research described the problems and challenges during the course freely and openly, knowing that the information was intended solely for the purposes of the study and that their rights would be protected.

3. Results

3.1 Time is running out: what will the students retain from the course?

The discomfort experienced by the teacher educator (TE) was based on her earlier acquaintance with this group of students, who had attended her courses in chemistry over a 2-year period. However, despite this previous acquaintance, the learning was not progressing at the quality or rate that the TE had set for the class and the material was not being sufficiently internalized by the students. As a result, the TE determined that the group needed to be addressed using the different teaching method. Her aspiration to involve the students in the course material is evident in the sentence written in her journal after the first lesson: “I want the students to ‘fall in love’ with protein.” In an attempt to make the learning experience more significant, the TE identified the need to create a sense of social involvement among the students, as such involvement takes the form of a collaborative learning community, which is known to promote reflective thinking and learning particularly in a CSCL context [54].

To this end, the TE presented a task which required each student to select a protein or a biochemical reaction and study it and present it to one’s peers in class. After a few weeks, although the students had already completed this assignment, the TE recorded her sense of discomfort in her journal:

They still are not showing signs of curiosity or interest in the [chemical] reaction. Their learning is technical and I have not identified any desire to create a change that will lead to in-depth and significant learning. I feel like our time is running out: we are nearing the middle of the course and then the departure of the students are about to graduate. Which assignment from this course will they take with them and remember later on?

Indeed, this assessment was accurate, as at approximately the same time frame, Student F described her experience thus: “when I was learning about the GPCR protein, I didn’t discover anything special about it.” Therefore, while preparing to teach the topic of cell respiration, which is known to be a complex and time-consuming segment of the curriculum [32], the TE was deliberating how to lead the students to gain a strong understanding of the topic. “The process of cell respiration is a prolonged one includes many stages and am wondering what is relevant and what is appropriate for our students. How can I encourage self-study skills that will lead to significant learning, when students are having difficulty ‘seeing’ the processes?”

In the weekly meeting with the group, the TE came up with the idea to use ICT applications as a possible tool for guiding the preservice teachers [55], using the framework of CSCL, which allows for visual conceptualization and is based on learners’ collaborative work [56]. The TE demonstrated the use of the CACOO tool as a means of representing a chemical reaction: “If we write each reaction by using a square to represent the substrate, a triangle to represent an enzyme, and perhaps we should also use colors (?), I think that could be fun … much like playing a game.” In fact, studies have indicated that also in the sciences, games can serve as a means to motivate learning [57].

The TE chose to teach the topic of glycolysis applying the CACOO to model the use of a tool to help create a sense of confidence among the students. The learning was focused on two aspects: one was the chemical process and the other was the use of the tool as shown in Figure 2. The figure presents the glycolysis process, as the TE created it:

Figure 2.

The glycolysis process, as the TE created it.

Following our [the team’s] reflective consultation, I constructed a visual representation of the glycolysis, to serve as a model for teaching a chemical reaction. The representation was done in a traditional fashion, although the glucose was represented by a symbol. I used symbols that are familiar to the students and showed the development of the process using terminology that is familiar to them. My goal was to enable them to follow the process and get involved by using the new tool.

Based on the TE’s record of the students’ responses, it appears that they found the process complicated and difficult to follow: “I could tell that the process seems complicated to them, but I was not worried that they word find it more difficult than other comparable processes.” One of the students said, “For me, following this chemical process is very difficult … Why aren’t we using a regular visual presentation?”

Given that it was necessary “To establish thematic patterns in order to picture the network of relationships among the meanings of key terms related to the process [58], the TE explained to the group that from the next lesson onward, the students would work in pairs and would use the tool themselves to learn about other similar chemical processes.”

3.2 Guided peer learning: carefully testing the waters

The first stage in learning about the citric acid cycle was based on guided peer learning.

Peer learning is a pedagogical strategy with many benefits, such as aiding students to take responsibility on their own learning [59]. The TE presented the citric acid cycle to the students and an analysis of the information about the various reactions. In the weekly team meeting, the TE described her feeling of missing the point, because she continued to act as a source of information rather than as a facilitator or coach who encourages student-centered learning [60]. This was manifested in her presenting the information already analyzed and processed so as to ease the demand on the students. “In an attempt to help the students cope with the English language, I prepared a Hebrew translation of all 10 reactions; it was like bringing in a textbook [to be memorized].” The TE further explained to the students that there is a cyclical relationship among the various reactions: “I explained that it is a cyclical process and that each reaction continues … ‘What comes next?’—they asked, and I answered mysteriously ‘that’s for me to know and for you to find out’.” According to the TE, her intent was to create a sense of curiosity to encourage learning [20].

In the lessons that follow, the TE observed the work of the pairs in the classroom and summarized her observation in her journal: “I saw that the pair of students, M and A had adopted well to this type of work. They immediately sat down to work and began reading about the reaction from information retrieved from the Internet, calling me for from time to time to answer their question or to explicate a concept. It was obvious that they were managing well both with the tool and with the chemical reactions.” Varying the teaching methodologies was important, to address various learning styles and to make the learning interactive. While using a textbook is suitable to auditory learners, the use of emoji and visual representation corresponds to the style of visual learners [61].

In the weekly team meeting, the TE expressed satisfaction as you noted that each of the pairs had read the explanation about the assigned reaction and acted intuitively as they jointly used the CACOO. One student commented to her classmates: “Look at all these emojis; it’s just like on the WhatsApp—I recognize these symbols.” The TE noted: “It is a pleasure to watch them work! I felt proud … [to see them work independently]. They were commenting to each other: ‘NADH (a molecule in the chemical reaction) is like a gift for the cell (Table 1); it is not exactly energy but it is something that the cell is glad to receive, right? So let us use the gift emoji and we will represent the carbon molecules using stars.’”

Table 1.

The common scientific names and the symbols the students created.

Nevertheless, many of the other pairs found it difficult to independently comprehend the chemical reaction and required a great deal of help from the TE. She described it thus:

Despite the training wheels they received, in the form of the texts I had prepared in Hebrew explaining the reactions, they needed my help and called on me often. Although the technical adaptation to using the tool was easy, they encountered a great deal of difficulty understanding the chemical reaction. I could feel they were making an effort and I said, “You know you can do this, right? I know it seems difficult, but you have dealt with more difficult things in the past. I know because I was there and I saw how you managed.”

This is how the TE described her feeling of empathy in her journal: “I suddenly had a grasp of their difficulty; in my mind, I suddenly felt the coin drop … T the topic is indeed complicated, but seeing them cope with the difficulty help me understand how difficult they found it. I was surprised by my sense of empathy and understanding.” The process had automatically activated [her] empathy [62].

“I found myself walking among five pairs and explaining about the reactions, showing than which is the reactor and which is the product … I felt like I was the bottleneck in this learning process. They needed a great deal of assistance from me and I was on my own in the classroom. With the exception of the pair M and A, the group did not succeed in working independently. They were unable to decode the reactions.” Although the TE tried to provide the necessary help to all of the student pairs, one of them, F and D, approached her and stated “We are absolutely lost; we can’t even understand what is written here.”

3.3 Advancing one step at a time: using video clips as a tool to cope with the material

The TE’s discontent produced a new idea: she recorded short video clips in which she explained the chemical reactions, serving as a mediator: “Given that the students are not making progress independently, and I am unable to all of the pairs simultaneously, I will videotape myself as I explain it. That way I will be free to circle around and be there if they still need me.” The TE noticed that the video clips help the students focus on their learning. The use of a variety of learning styles, reading the text versus learning from a video clip, is significant also in the higher education framework [63].

This served as an initial turning point: “The change was amazing. They really began to work! They were no longer stuck on some aspect but were making progress. My plan was to dedicate approximately 20 minutes of the lesson to this, but they enjoyed it so much that we extended it an additional 10 minutes. I found them working at various levels, deeply engaged in the learning process.” The TE noticed that student N was truly delving into the material: “The pair N and S were able to understand the reaction with the help of the video-clip; they could see that the succinate molecule turns into fumarate. I could tell that N was truly pleased, perhaps even demonstrating creative enthusiasm, like a child eager to use a new set of crayons. I was so happy; I wanted to join in the fun.” Student N said to her partner: “Let us represent the CoA molecule in the form of a briefcase that has a key (see Table 1, option 1 of the succinyl CoA), what do you think? The key is the enzyme that opens the briefcase, what do you say?”

By contrast, the pair of students F and D did not find the video clips helpful and still found it difficult to focus on the reaction they were assigned to study: “F and D looked lost … Even with the video-clips they couldn’t figure out what they were supposed to do.” At one point, they turned to the TE and said: “We haven’t succeeded in understanding any of it; we can’t do anything. This is the second lesson we are spending on this task.”

In the team’s weekly meeting, it was suggested that the TE had not yet reached the stage needed to change the essence of her role as teacher, as [64] described it: “Transitioning from being the instructional star to being the director of learning.” At the same time, however, the TE’s feelings of empathy were deepening, as she described it: “I sat down next to them, looked at them, and said ‘it must be very disappointing not to succeed on the second try … What can be done about this?’” Student F asked “How do the other pairs manage?” I redirected the question back at them: “I don’t know. That’s a good question. What do you think?” At this point I was thinking of offering them a chance to look at the work of the other pairs, but decided not to say anything. I felt that they did not need another piece of advice from me; the only needed me listen. I could see them staring again and again at the video-clips, without managing to decipher the reaction.” The students’ repeated attempts and the frustration they experienced due to their lack of success led the TE to sense that what they needed was someone to listen and be attentive to them [65], rather than an additional explanation regarding the assignment.

3.4 With a little help from my friends

The TE felt the need to find a different approach. In their weekly meeting, the team came to the conclusion that it was time to demonstrate the connections between the various chemical reactions in the citric acid cycle. At this stage, the TE could encourage peer learning and peer assessment. Asking for help from peers often encourages students to practice self-regulatory skills such as self-reflection [66]. The TE’s goal for the next lesson was to bring the students to understand the connections between the reactions and the meaning of a biochemical cycle. “I mentioned in the class that they should not forget that there is a cycle of connections between the reactions. Within a few moments they began to discuss this and explore each other’s work.” In her journal, the TE noted: “Perhaps this can be a way to help F and D?”

Soon enough, using the CACOO synchronous-collaborative tool, the students began discussing the connections among the reactions and observing each other’s work. It occurred to them that they had to relate to the reactions described by the other pairs, that it was all part of a single puzzle. The pairs began to compare their work. An open and flowing discussion developed. “They began to discuss the emoji’s used to represent those molecules: How does it all come together?’ Even though I had repeatedly reminded them that this was a biochemical cycle, they were not ready to understand its significance—up until this point, that is!”

In the next team meeting, the TE described the social interaction that developed, which was mediated by the use of the same digital tool. “Just like in a chemical reaction, in which each substance has a role, but each pair had produced formed part of the final product. And it is important to note that the pair that was having the most difficulty no longer had to cope alone. As student D said, ‘I finally understood what the TE meant. Seeing what the other pairs had made helped me understand’.” The TE summarized this stage in her journal: “They suddenly understood that up until now they had been working on different pieces of the same cycle. Some of them accepted the visual representation of the other couples and some adamantly opposed the choices of their classmates. But it made them try to understand the logic behind each choice, make adjustments, and redesign their visual representations.”

To gain an understanding of the chemical reactions and processes in the lesson, it was important to discuss the meanings in the analogies that they had created. It is evident that different students would use different analogies; however, discussing and reflecting on these differences is a critical phase [29]. Without such a discussion, the main point of the learning process is missed. Given that the chemical reactions are connected to each other in the cycle, there was an echoing of the peer learning process (that took place within the pairs) in the creation of the final product. As the product of one reaction becomes a component of the next chemical reaction, each pair of students must work with another pair of peers. The TE recognized this as a second turning point and noted: “It was a pleasure. It was interesting to hear about their experiences. I was very excited to see them working together during that lesson.”

The pair of students, M and A, were involved in a dialog with another pair and realize that things did not work out in the cycle as they had expected, but they were inspired to continue exploring. Even though they had experience difficulty in the earlier stages of the learning process, they were pleasantly challenged in a later stage. At one point, M turned to her partner and said “Look at the way S and N represented the reaction; it’s different from the way we did it. Let’s ask them why they did it that way.” That the most noticeable change was in the work of the pair F and D, who up until this point had not understood how they could describe the assigned reaction using emoji. In her journal, the TE noted the following: “They began using the work of the other pairs like crutches. I could see their eyes light up when they finally began to understand. As I passed by her, M looked directly at me and smiled. I felt that the empathy that I expressed in regard to their difficulty enabled us to have a sense of a shared experience, even without words.” All of the pairs demonstrated significant progress after the collaborative assessment of their peers’ products. This mutual reliance led them to “practice self-regulatory skills such as self-reflection reflection” [66].

3.5 “The oxaloacetate went straight to my heart”: completing the cycle (together)

After establishing a social infrastructure that led to shared learning, the next stage was to recognize the connections among the various parts in the cycle and to “Taylor” the transitions between the reactions to render a group product. In the team’s weekly meeting, the TE shared the following: “Now there was a new problem: each pair had chosen different symbols to represent the same molecule. Will this become an issue? How will they arrive at a joint solution?” The CF noted the importance of the issue is an opportunity to discuss the universality of scientific language. As it turned out, all of the students agreed that using the picture of a lemon helped remind them of the citric acid reaction (Table 1): “Jokingly, one of the students acknowledged their shared understanding, as she added a lemon to the emoji representing the citric acid. This put in motion the task for that lesson, which was to understand the citric acid cycle as a complete process.” The social interactions related to the topic at hand were extremely important for creating a collaborative learning process [43]. Also in the case of representing the fumarate (see Table 1 for the two options the two different groups suggested for fumarate. The students agreed on option 1), all of the students agreed on the creative symbol selected by N, who explained her choice to her peers. The TE recorded the student’s explanation in her journal:

“This is a trans molecule, you see? [She points to the double bond], so then I think of it as transgender.” Her classmates laughed. I told him that was a unique and original idea but asked if they knew the etymology of the word transgender. They did not, so I explained that it means “someone whose gender-related feelings do not correspond to the sex they were born with and, thus, the heavy atoms around the double bond points in two different directions, whereas cisgender is the term used when the individual’s feelings coincide with the sex one is born with, and thus in chemistry, cis refers to a molecule in which heavy atoms around the double bond points in the same direction.” I could tell that they enjoy the explanation on the representation selected for that molecule.

Hearing this explanation was pleasing to the students because it enabled them to understand the deeper meaning of the term “transgender.” From a sociocultural perspective, education is concerned also with linguistic changes, whereby older words acquire new meanings. This aspect became part of the process of learning the language of chemistry [67].

In contrast to the last two examples on which students were quick to agree about the symbol chosen, in other cases, they found it difficult to come to an agreement. Each pair had an explanation and rationale for choosing a particular emoji and the fact that their choice also gave meaning to the chemical reaction made it a source of disagreement. This stage, the TE opted to refrain from intervening. Explaining their rationale was important for understanding the topic at hand. “It was the right moment to allow the learners to present their ideas and explain them, which is a necessary part in the process of constructing knowledge. I feel that I am ready to let go [of my central role] and instead I can stand aside and observe the learning process.” During the weekly team meeting, the CF noted the important development whereby the TE transitioned from the role of initiator to functioning as an instructional manager [64]. In contrast to the earlier stage when disagreement or conflict was a source of discomfort for the TE, she now recognized that these could be a possible resource for social interaction that contributes to the cognitive organization of the newly acquired knowledge [68].

In the case of a particular disagreement regarding the symbol selected to represent succinyl CoA, the TE did intervene (see Table 1 for the two options the two different groups suggested for succinyl CoA): “Look, we managed to come to an agreement on one representation, the transgender. Right now each pair is very attached to the representation the selected. Let’s put it aside and discuss it again next week. Perhaps by then we will think about it differently.” However, the disagreement continued into the following week, as each pair considered their selection to be very logical and neither pair was willing to cede. Student N try to convince her classmates: “The CoA is like a briefcase full of money; the succinyl CoA enzyme can open the briefcase, which is why it is represented with a picture of a key. The money is the GTP (Table 1) that supplies the cell with energy. I do not understand why you cannot manage to see that?!” Student A responded: “The thing is, we selected the symbol of a female, which is preferred over a male, which is why the female represents a molecule with a higher level of energy. We cannot change this without it affecting the meaning of the alpha-Ketoglutarate molecule (Table 1).” To settle the disagreement, the TE suggested that in the final collaborative product, both symbols would be featured (Figure 3) and would thus serve as a reminder of the source of this disagreement. In her journal, she wrote the following entry: “It was very interesting to see them discuss their positions. Without noticing, they had acquired an understanding of concepts related to energy and incorporated these into their discussion. They understood the significance of the scientific symbol and felt a deep connection to the representations and to their understanding of the connection between the symbol and what it represented. To me, this was a successful outcome.”

Figure 3.

The collaborative product of the group representation of the citric acid cycle.

Student M also described her feeling of success: “at first I didn’t understand what we were supposed to do. We were not enthusiastic and did not want to proceed. I thought it was a waste of time. But now, after the discussion in this lesson, I understand what the intended goal was. It’s wonderful! I’m going to use it in my future teaching; understanding that if I believe a certain activity is worthwhile, I will follow through, even if the learners demonstrate resistance. This was a unique experience.”

However, in addition to the sense of success experienced by the TE and the majority of the students, student R described her difficulty in applying the idea of visual analogies: “I did not connect with this method. It felt like superficial learning. These are nothing but emoji’s. Each symbol corresponds to one specific molecule; there is no generalization. … Except for the Oxaloacetate [the molecule that she created]; that one went straight to my heart. It’s the only one I will remember.”

Indeed, a good chemical model is one that manages to describe as many cases as possible [29]. In this case, the symbols were “tailored” precisely to each molecule in its specific context and, consequently, it could not be used in other cases or contexts, or even for teaching the citric acid cycle to a different group because it would be devoid of the social context provided by this specific group. This then raises the question: what is the main purpose of using emoji?

Student B summarized the process thus: “For me, the topics that we research through independent learning are the ones that are branded in my memory. I know that I will remember this topic.” Student M added: “I felt that the teachers input in the work process created a sense of empathy and motivated us to continue with the project.”

4. Discussion

Life in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is dynamic and constantly changing, and the task of teaching must adapt to the shifts that are characteristic of this era. Considering the future of high school graduates who are currently in the education system, we realize that they must be able to practice and adapt to conditions of uncertainty. To this end, and according to the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) [69], they need to acquire a broad range of skills, among them cognitive skills (e.g. critical thinking, creative thinking, and the ability to self-regulate), social and emotional skills (e.g. empathy and teamwork skills), as well as practical skills (e.g. using ICT-mediated information).

To educate graduates who correspond to this description, teachers are tasked with the important responsibility of listening to and developing their students’ skills. Hence, not only must these aspects of teacher responsibility be addressed in the formal curricula of teacher education, but they should be emphasized and discussed in the early stages of the program before these learners begin to practice their teaching skills in the classroom.

In the current study, we discussed the learning process for acquiring knowledge on a topic that is considered particularly complex and difficult. The use of CSCL in the context of studying the citric acid cycle was not incidental but rather was carefully selected by a team that included the TE, the DPC, and the CF. The incorporation of CSCL in the case presented here demonstrates the way a teacher can promote the development of learners’ cognitive and practical skills in a manner that corresponds to the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

In cognitive terms, the learners had to cope with complex concepts, which many students find difficult. Teachers are typically aware that teaching this subject matter in a manner that is helpful to students requires the use of a variety of learning approaches and strategies. In the case described here, students had to develop critical thinking as they studied complex chemical reactions. They needed to employ creative thinking because they were required to analyze the text that they read and the audio segment that they had heard and translate this information into a visual representation of their design. They were also required to manage their learning process independently, despite the difficulty in challenging nature of the assignment.

In practical terms, the learners were introduced to a new and hence unfamiliar digital tool and learned to use it simultaneously with their team members in a collaborative learning process, intended to promote the shared acquisition of knowledge. It would be interesting to further investigate the potential social and emotional skills that were developed and used in the course of this learning process.

4.1 Teacher empathy beyond CSCL skills

In the course of planning the task and analyzing its development in the weekly team meetings, the DPC and the CF attempted to address the manner in which the TE could emphasize the aspect of social and emotional skills. However, the TE was unprepared to introduce these aspects into her teaching. In contrast to the development of cognitive and practical skills, which was strongly emphasized in her lessons, it appears that the TE’s approach was not oriented toward the social and emotional aspects. However, in light of the findings of the current study, a different picture emerged. The TE understood the orientation that the PC and CF were encouraging her to incorporate realized that the process seemed to be stuck or reached a dead end, the unconscious solution that she chose was to use empathy. The team discovered that empathy as an educational approach is the option she typically chooses to use when helping her students. At the stage when her students were struggling, she first turned to solutions that promoted the development of their cognitive or practical skills. Perhaps a more precise and appropriate solution would have been to purposely raise questions related to social-emotional skills? Given that the TE was guiding the learning process of preservice teachers, perhaps the situation called for a more direct and open discussion of these aspects in the lesson?

Following the interview that the CF held with the TE, the CF emphasized that although the use of empathy as a strategy for coping with students’ difficulties was introduced only when nothing else worked, it was nonetheless an important tool in her teaching process. Its importance can be seen in the interactions with the pair of students F and D, who required her empathy and support throughout the process, as the cognitive and practical learning strategies were less effective for this pair of students. Another example of the importance of this empathic approach can be found in the process of the class discussion, when working on the final product and negotiating which symbols should be used. Steering this discussion was not an easy task for the TE. For the students, as well as for the TE, this was a peak point in the learning process because the learners had to rationalize and justify their choices using the concepts and terminology they had learned. The focus of the discussion was on which viewpoint each pair employed to facilitate their understanding of the subject matter. After the process of working together and analyzing the particular chemical reaction, some pairs found it difficult to give up their viewpoint in favor of that used by a different pair. This created an opportunity to conduct a discussion that was highly social and emotional. After analyzing the findings of this study, the TE felt that this opportunity was not fully used for the purpose of addressing social-emotional aspects for directly addressing the use of empathy as a teaching tool. As a result, the TE is now more aware of the importance of developing social-emotional skills in general and empathy as an educational tool to be used in the classroom, especially when teaching complicated topics.

5. Summary

The importance of incorporating and discussing models in the teaching of chemistry is well known [29]. Scientists use models to compare their product with the target and find similarities and differences. This process can take the form of an empiric examination or a thought experiment. Teachers tend to use analogical models to compare the target with concrete objects and events that are familiar to the students from their everyday lives. In the case described in the current study, the modeling process included the task of independently designing the molecules and chemical reactions involved in the citric acid cycle. The advantage of this approach was in assigning the students the task of creating a model that would be helpful and meaningful to them. A possible disadvantage of this approach was that some of the representations that were created would not be clear or meaningful to learners outside of this particular group. Student R understood this shortcoming and expressed her feelings, stating that in her view, the constricted significance of the representations selected made the learning superficial.

The TE also felt that this issue should have been considered and discussed, as it is particularly significant for learners who are PSTs: What is the significance of a model that is not comprehensible to those outside the group that created? Is an educational process that renders a product that cannot be understood by those outside the particular group still meaningful or significant? Is the teaching of science different in this sense from teaching other disciplines? These are questions that the TE felt should have been addressed in the classroom.