How to develop meta cognition to thinking process in order to improve investigation skill

In this paper a special way to use intelligence tests in order to strengthen the students' meta cognition and their ability to master the skills was examined. The objective of this exercise is to prepare the students to use these skills, which are relevant also for carrying out scientific experiments. Gagne (1) defines two levels of skills needed for carrying out scientific investigations. In the lower level, the skills of observation using time and space, classifying, computing, anticipating (foretelling) using numbers, making measurements and concluding, are included. While the higher level of skills contains the ability to identify the variables, separate and control them are found among others (see also: Zohar (2); Zohar and Veinberger (3)). Some of these skills can be identified by analyzing the Progressive Matrices of Raven (4), and to find the way to suggest the correct solution to each of them. In order to solve an eight-s-one Raven Matrice, the students need to enlarge their observational abilities to recognize colors and forms and develop their spatial organization ability. The need to count and distinguish between horizontal and perpendicular, to observe the graduate changes between one form to the other, in each row and column. All these skills are similar to Gagne's (1) low level skills. The skill of classification is used in order to define the laws governing the changes that occur in the rows and columns of the Matrices, the special variables concerning these laws should be defined and controlled, for each problem. The students then infer these laws by operating logical thinking. Other spatial concepts such as dimensions, inside or outside, close to or touching each other, and so on, are also exercised. The research problem stated here, is how to make pupils conscious of their thinking processes, which will help them to solve problems taken from the intelligence tests (The Matrices of Raven). At the same time, when the pupils are aware of these thinking processes, it is hypothesized that they will be able to activate the same thinking processes of identification, separation and control to perform controlled scientific experiments. The examples of such scientific experiments are the identification of the variables needed to solve the problems of estimating the time spans needed for the melting of ice cubes in varying conditions. To perform this task, the pupils should be able to identify the dependent and independent variables significant to these physical processes, i.e. the time needed to melt the ice cube, and the temperature, mat exists, while the process of melting is taking place. In the Raven Matrices, these variables are the intentional changes made in the Matrices' forms and the effect of those changes on the same forms. The dependence of the time span of melting on the temperature exemplifies inverse proportion. Since, as the temperature becomes higher, the time span becomes shorter. This proportion resembles problems where the forms in the matrices become smaller or less complicated during the process of change in the rows and in the columns. On the other hand, when the volume of the ice cubes is changed, the direct ratio logic is in action. This is similar to solving problems of matrices, where the forms become bigger or gradually more complicated. Thus, we see that to plan execute, and infer the conclusions from a scientific experiment, the same logical processes as regarding to the processes of solving intelligence test problems are used. The gradual changes in the forms presented in the test, consisted of the matrices, were demonstrated by computer graphics, done by the participant, who checks each change, to find out if it matches the actual changes in the forms of the Matrix. The analogy of the steps taken in solving matrices problems and designing the scientific experiment were demonstrated by PowerPoint presentation. The tool was presented to pre-service teacher students, who major in science education. They tried to identify the concepts, the changes and the laws that lead to the solution of Raven Matrices of changing levels. Then, they used the same skills to handle the problem of the melting ice cubes. These teacher students reported that the process of carrying out the experiments became more transparent after their experimenting with the matrices.