Modeling Instruction
in High School Physics, Chemistry, and Physical Science
The Modeling Method of High School Physics Instruction has been under development
at Arizona State University for since 1990 under the leadership of David Hestenes,
Professor of Physics. The program cultivates physics teachers as school experts
on effective use of guided inquiry in science teaching, thereby providing schools
and school districts with a valuable resource for broader reform. Program goals
are fully aligned with National Science Education Standards. The Modeling Method
corrects many weaknesses of the traditional lecture-demonstration method, including
fragmentation of knowledge, student passivity, and persistence of naive beliefs
about the physical world. Unlike the traditional approach, in which students
wade through an endless stream of seemingly unrelated topics, the Modeling Method
organizes the course around a small number of scientific models, thus making
the course coherent. In 2000 the program was extended to physical science and
in 2005 to chemistry, by demand of committed teachers.
- Project Staff
Objectives
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Articles, presentations, recommendations
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- Resources for the
modeling classroom
including action research projects
Action Research, projects, papers/presentations by teachers,
adaptations for 9th grade physics; how to use whiteboards effectively
and where to buy them, what equipment will help you run a Modeling Instruction
course, ideas for remodeling your classroom, web links for modelers.
- Archives of teacher contributions to the Modeling
listserv and ChemMod listserv
Over 200 compilations! Helpful hints on concerns
that arise in each of the units in mechanics, suggestions by Modelers
about classroom management, pace, AP, whiteboards and more...
- How to organize and run Workshops
for professional development in your school district or
in partnership with a local university. Sample workshops from 2 hours
to 3 weeks duration. How to organize and run them.
- Lab practicums
- Activities that teachers can use at the end of a unit to assess how
well their students have learned the concepts in that unit.
- Curriculum materials
- Here are sample materials that give you some sense of what Modeling Instruction
is about.
Workshop participants have access to the most current materials and resources
on the password protected "Participants Resources" webpage.
- Material in this web site is based upon work supported by the National Science
Foundation under Grant No. ESI-9353423. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions
or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and
do not necesarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
List of Modeling Workshop
leaders by state
Hundreds of teachers are eager to lead local reform of physics, chemistry,
and physical science. Here's an incomplete list of leaders. About 2500 high
school and college teachers in 48 states have taken a Modeling Workshop. Please
ask Jane Jackson for contact information
of others in your locale. -
- The Force Concept Inventory (FCI), Mechanics Baseline Test (MBT), and Views
About Science Survey (VASS) as well as published papers on these instruments,
findings of the Modeling Workshop Project, and taxonomies of student conceptions
in mechanics.
This page is maintained by Jane Jackson- jane.jackson@asu.edu
last updated on August 16, 2007
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