"Which group should I put this in?" — Teaching Biological Classification to Children with Developmental Disabilities

"I can say the names like 'angiosperms' and 'monocots,' but when it comes to sorting them on a test, I don't know which is which." We sometimes hear this when students reach the unit on biological classification in junior high school science.

Even though they thought they had memorized them using mnemonics (a method of learning plant names and classifications by rhythm or sound), they can't use them in problems. Even if they memorize the table by heart, it's reset by the next day. For children and parents who repeat such experiences, we will explain the reasons for these stumbling blocks and how to organize the information.

This is not because they are "unmotivated" or "lack the ability to memorize." There is a clear reason inherent in the structure of the classification unit itself that makes it easy to get stuck.

What you will learn in this article

• Why biological classification is difficult for many children in the first place

• Points that are particularly burdensome for children with developmental disabilities

• How to teach meaning-making and grouping based on "why they belong to that group"

• How Tenjin is useful for this unit

What do we learn in junior high school science "Biological Classification"?

First, let's organize what needs to be memorized in this unit. In the first-year junior high school unit "Various Organisms and Their Common Features," we sort plants and animals into groups based on their characteristics.

The point is not to memorize the names all at once, but to branch them out little by little using their characteristics as a guide For plants, it starts with "whether they produce seeds or not"; plants that produce seeds are divided into angiosperms and gymnosperms, and angiosperms are further divided into dicots and monocots. For animals, it starts with "whether they have a backbone"; vertebrates with backbones are divided into five groups: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Reading this far, many of you may feel that a lot of names have already appeared. In fact, that "large number" is the first point where children get stuck.

Why biological classification is difficult in the first place

Regardless of whether they have specific learning needs, this unit is structured in a way that is burdensome for many children. Let's look at them one by one.

There are many correspondences to memorize

In classification, it is not enough to just list and memorize names. You need to memorize the name and multiple characteristics as a set, such as "monocots = parallel veins, fibrous roots, one cotyledon."

For plants alone, there are about 10 items to memorize. When animals are added, the amount to memorize increases rapidly as perspectives such as body surface, method of respiration, body temperature, and how offspring are born are combined.

Classification criteria are difficult to confirm from their everyday appearance

The axes of classification include things that are difficult to confirm just by looking at the appearance of living things we see every day. For example, "whether the ovule is enclosed in an ovary (angiosperm or gymnosperm)" cannot be understood without looking inside the flower or fruit. "Whether the egg has a shell" also requires knowing about the egg itself, not just the appearance of the creature.

Furthermore, examples where the appearance and the classification category do not match appear frequently. Bats are mammals even though they have wings, and penguins are birds even though they cannot fly. Children often perceive these as "exceptions" and become confused.

However, this is not actually an exception. Once you grasp the principle of "classifying by common body structures," things can be organized quite clearly.

Confusion arises when learning without being aware of the hierarchy

The question "Is it a monocot or a dicot?" and the question "Is it a polypetalous or a sympetalous flower?" are questions at different hierarchical levelsIf you learn them without grasping which level you are talking about, the topics from different axes will get mixed up, making it impossible to organize.

This is also the limitation of mnemonic devices. If the information extracted from a mnemonic, such as "rapeseed is a polypetalous flower," is not connected to the separate information that "rapeseed is also a dicot," you will be unable to answer as soon as the axis of the question changes.

Points that become even more difficult for children with developmental disabilities

In addition to the difficulties mentioned so far, there are parts that place an even greater burden on children with specific characteristics. This is not a matter of ability, but a result of their characteristics.

Rote memorization without meaning is hard to retain in memory

Even if you are given a table matching names and characteristics without any reason for "why they belong to that group," it will be easy to forget because there are no memory hooks. For children who have difficulty with reading and writing, just reading the table can be a burden, and they may become exhausted before they even process the content.

The reason they "can say the name but stop when it comes to grouping" is often because the sound of the name and the meaning of the characteristics are not connected in their minds. It is a state where they have "memorized the name" but have not linked "why it belongs there."

This is not because they lack the ability to memorize, but simply because the way they assign meaning and group information is not organizedIf you reorganize it, it will be easier to store as a memory.

Furthermore, in problems where you have to answer about the same organism from multiple perspectives (e.g., rapeseed is an angiosperm, a dicot, and a polypetalous plant), you need to proceed to the next level while maintaining what you decided in the previous one, and it is easy to get confused about which perspective is being discussed midway. Checking the branching one step at a time can be helpful.

A checklist to identify the stage of stumbling

Before you re-teach, try checking at which stage the child is stuck. Ask in order from the top, and the point where they say "I don't know" is the starting point for re-teaching.

About plants

• Can they state the largest way to divide plants? (Answer: Seed-producing plants / Non-seed-producing plants)

• Can they state the difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms based on their characteristics?

• Can they distinguish between dicots and monocots based on leaves, roots, and cotyledons?

About animals

• Can they state the largest way to divide animals? (Answer: Those with a backbone [vertebrates] / Those without [invertebrates])

• Can they state the five groups of vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) one by one, along with their characteristics?

Checking for completion

• Can you explain why rapeseed is a dicot, using reasons?

It is okay if you cannot say everything perfectly. If you know where you are stumbling, you can start organizing from there.

4 Steps for Teaching Children Who Struggle with Classification

Now that you know where the stumbling block is, let's look at teaching methods that reduce the burden of memorization. The point is not to "reduce the amount to memorize," but to "organize it into an easy-to-remember format through meaning and grouping".

Step 1: Teach "what the criteria for division are" first

Before tables or names, convey the principle that "classification is grouping by common characteristics."

For example, ask, "Are bats and dogs in the same group?" and confirm the perspective together by saying, "Both give birth to young and raise them with milk, and have a body structure for that. That is why they are both mammals."

Example of what to say: "Before we memorize the names, let's look at how we divide them into groups together. What needs to be the same for them to be in the same group?"

Step 2: Check the branching one level at a time

Do not try to memorize everything at once; check one level at a time starting from the top hierarchy.

For plants, start only with "whether they produce seeds or not." Next, "among those that produce seeds, are the ovules enclosed or exposed?" For dicots and monocots, check them together using the three-piece set of leaves, roots, and cotyledons. If you, as the parent, suggest a way to break it down, such as "Today, we will only do angiosperms and gymnosperms," your child will be able to work on it with peace of mind.

Example of what to say: "First, let's look at the biggest division. Whether they produce seeds or not—does rapeseed produce seeds?"

Step 3: Organize with a branching diagram

Rather than a table with names on the side and characteristics on the top, a branching diagram (first divide by XX -> then divide by YY) makes the hierarchy clearly visible.

Let's try drawing this diagram on paper with your child. When solving problems, keep the diagram you drew at hand to look at, and as they get used to it, gradually move to a state where they can answer without looking at the diagram.

Example of what to say: "Let's find out together where this goes in the diagram. It produces seeds, so it's on this branch. Next, are the ovules enclosed or not..."

Step 4: For "things that look like exceptions," return to the body structure to confirm

For things that are easy to mistake based on appearance, such as bats, penguins, and whales, return to the principle of "classifying by body structure" to confirm.

Example of what to say: "Bats have wings to fly, right? But when we look at them for classification, we check how the young are born and what the surface of the body is made of."

Once the assumption that "it has wings, so it's a bird" is broken down, the idea that "there are exceptions, so I don't understand" changes to "the criteria are consistent."

You don't have to try to do all of this every day. Even if you only do "just the branching of plants in step 2 today," it will gradually become organized as you build on it. There are also ways to proceed without having to be by their side every day, which I will introduce next.

Summary: Organizing stumbling blocks and how to deal with them

• General difficulties: There are many relationships to memorize, and the criteria are not easily visible. If you are not conscious of the hierarchy, topics from different axes will get mixed up.

• Increased burden due to specific traits: Rote memorization without meaning is hard to retain, and when multiple criteria are presented, it is easy to get lost regarding which axis to think from.

• Direction of response: First, grasp "why it belongs to that group," check the branching one level at a time, and transition to using it without a diagram while keeping a branching diagram at hand.

To parents who feel it is difficult to teach every day

Trying to put the teaching methods mentioned so far into practice—preparing diagrams, checking one level at a time, finding stumbling blocks, and providing encouragement—requires a considerable amount of concentration from you as a parent. Honestly, continuing this every day is a difficult task.

For those people, I would like you to refer to the home learning digital teaching material "Tenjin".

In a study using Tenjin, results were presented at the Japanese Society for Learning Disabilities showing that visual working memory task scores improved for all participating children after just 3 months of using it for 10 minutes once a week. Accumulating meaning and step-by-step organization can lead to such changes. Yasuhiko Yamauchi, a leading expert in education for children with disabilities (Representative Director of the Association for Growth Support of Children with Disabilities), also recommends it, saying, "Small-step learning based on local textbooks is very popular."

In Tenjin, you learn biological classification in the flow of Lecture → Points → Problem Practice. In the lecture, the perspective of classification is explained visually using animation, and after confirming the main points in the points section, you enter problem practice. It is designed to build up the branching structure of "where to divide" one level at a time.

The problems are displayed as one question per screen, and the format is mainly choosing "which group this plant belongs to." When you make a mistake, hints that allow you to review "which feature to judge by" are automatically displayed, allowing you to return to the perspective of "why it belongs to that group." When you answer correctly, audio saying "Genius!" or "Amazing!" plays, and because children can proceed at their own pace, it also leads to building habits for independent learning.

Audio reading that allows you to concentrate on classification judgments without the burden of reading

If you try to read through problem sentences while the reading of kanji such as "angiosperms" and "dicots" remains ambiguous, the stumbling blocks will pile up. By using the optional audio reading function, problem sentences, hints, and explanations are read aloud, and the part being read is highlighted in color. You can concentrate on the classification judgment itself without the burden of reading.

When the foundation is shaky, you can go back and check

When there is a gap in the foundation, such as "I can say dicots and monocots, but I'm not sure what an angiosperm is," you can return to the previous table of contents and re-check from the hierarchy. Which grade level or how far back you can go depends on your child's purchase status, so please check during the free trial. In problem practice, "what question number you are on now" and "how many questions are left" are also displayed, so you can work on it while planning ahead.

Currently, Tenjin is offering a free trial. If you request materials, we will send you a dedicated trial PC (a rental unit provided free of charge). No credit card is required, and there is no obligation to purchase. In the PC version, you can experience all subjects and grades from preschool to elementary and junior high school, allowing you to consider the program after seeing how your child interacts with the actual problems.

Associate Professor Harumi Sakamoto of R-Medical Professional University (Ph.D. in Medicine, specialist in developmental disabilities) has reported the following in her research conducted on children with developmental disabilities.

*Results may vary by individual.

→ Click here for Tenjin free trial and material requests
https://www.tenjin.cc/lp/wp/hattatsu-s-02-price/

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. The price seems high, and I don't feel I can try it right away.
A. Just by requesting materials, a dedicated trial PC will be delivered to you for free. No credit card registration is required, and there is no obligation to purchase. Details of the pricing are enclosed with the materials, and it works out to approximately 2,750 yen per month (as it is a one-time purchase model, there are no monthly or annual fees. There are no additional costs for siblings). Please try the actual problems first before making a decision.

Q. My child is in the gray zone; will Tenjin be a good fit?
A. Tenjin can be used widely by children with various characteristics. It is not about whether they have a diagnosis, but whether it fits your child's current way of learning. The voice-over feature and small-step structure are highly regarded by children who find learning challenging. Please start with the free trial to see how your child reacts.

Q. My child hates memorizing classifications and won't even open the problems.
A. Classification is a unit where the feeling that "there is too much to memorize" often causes children to lose interest before they even start. In Tenjin, every time a question is solved, the child receives audio feedback like "Genius!" or "Amazing!" to indicate correctness, allowing them to progress while accumulating small senses of achievement. We recommend starting with just one section, such as "Angiosperms and Gymnosperms only."

References

• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) "Junior High School Curriculum Guidelines (2017 Notification) Commentary: Science"https://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/micro_detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2019/03/18/1387018_005.pdf

This article was created by the Tenjin Media Editorial Department. Characteristics of developmental disabilities vary by individual. If you have concerns regarding learning, please also consider consulting with a specialized institution.