Learning Science · Remembering and making sense
Explaining an idea and finding examples
Use explanation, examples and non-examples to reveal the relationships that make an idea work.
Use the examples to connect this lesson with the earlier topics. No specialist equipment is needed.
Back to the chapterAfter reading, you can
- Construct a reasoned explanation
- Choose a useful contrasting case
More than repeating a definition
A learner repeats that a fair comparison changes one relevant condition while keeping others appropriately comparable. To explain the idea, they must say why other changes can provide alternative explanations. An explanation connects a claim with reasons, mechanisms or evidence.
An example makes that relationship concrete. A non-example shows a boundary: comparing two plants while changing both light and water cannot isolate the effect of light. Neither a definition alone nor a collection of stories necessarily makes the causal relationship clear.
| Pair | Light | Water | What can be inferred? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A and B | Different | Same amount and schedule | Designed to compare light, if other relevant conditions are comparable |
| C and D | Different | Different amount or schedule | Light and water are entangled; the difference cannot isolate light |
Build the explanation
Start with the question, identify the relevant parts and connect them step by step. Use familiar words before adding technical terms. Ask what would change if a key condition changed. This exposes whether the explanation supports a prediction or merely restates the conclusion.
Learners may generate plausible but incorrect explanations. Check them against a reliable model, observation or knowledgeable feedback. Asking beginners to explain without enough information can produce confident speculation. A worked example can supply the missing foundation.
Use variety for a reason
Choose examples that differ in irrelevant surface details while preserving the central relationship. Add a boundary case that changes a decisive feature. The purpose is to teach what makes a case belong, not to overwhelm the learner with many situations at once.
An example should illustrate the defining relationship rather than an incidental feature. If every fair-comparison example uses plants, a learner may associate fairness with biology alone. A later comparison involving materials or schedules can test whether the same reasoning survives a change in surface details.
Worked example
Explaining an umbrella choice
Why can the same rain forecast support different umbrella decisions for two walks?
- Keep the forecast fixed and identify the proposed action: taking an umbrella.
- Compare the conditions. A short walk entirely under cover exposes the traveller to little rain; a long uncovered walk creates a different exposure.
- Explain how the conditions affect the reason for the action. A forecast can be relevant without determining every decision independently of shelter, duration and inconvenience.
A useful explanation links the recommendation to its conditions. The same forecast does not imply an identical action for every trip.
Try it yourself
Think through each question before opening the answer.
Why can a non-example be useful?
Show the answer and reasoning
It changes a defining feature and makes the concept’s boundary visible, provided the contrast is explained.
A near nonexample removes or changes a decisive condition. Explaining that change helps the learner identify the boundary rather than memorise a label.
How would you improve “A good source is trustworthy because it is reliable”?
Show the answer and reasoning
Replace the repeated labels with reasons: relevant expertise, checkable evidence and a method appropriate to the claim.
Trustworthy and reliable merely repeat the judgment. Relevant expertise, checkable evidence and an appropriate method give reasons that a reader can investigate.
What to carry forward
- Explain a relationship with reasons.
- Use contrasts that change a decisive feature.
- Check generated explanations for accuracy.
References
Sources supporting the explanations and learning checks in this lesson.