Measuring ModelingGregg Swackhamer
"Modeling" is a set of instructional design principles that guide teachers in the construction and selection of materials and activities for students and also in their classroom practice. Because science knowledge is organized around models, physics students engage a small set of desired models through guided inquiry. Guided inquiry is a mode of instruction in which classroom materials and activities are arranged so that students will confront essential features of these models and also some of the typical student difficulties that often frustrate understanding. We will examine the effect of Modeling in physics instruction on student understanding, problem-solving, retention of understanding, and also on student beliefs about science and learning. Although there are no easy solutions to teaching and learning physics, at least in some respects Modeling has produced significant desirable results for a large fraction of teachers trained through Modeling Workshops. *********************** |