Modeling instruction is one of the most successful reforms to the teaching of physics in the last 50 years. It is predicated on the notion that it is the nature of humans to think using “models”—conceptual representations of real things. Firmly grounded in cognitive science and based upon the belief that science content cannot be separated from pedagogy, modeling instruction uses an iterative cycle of model construction,model testing and elaboration and model application to help students learn physics deeply and coherently. Even more important, it helps them learn to think like a scientist.
In 1983, high school physics teacher Malcolm Wells was a graduate student of theoretical physicist David Hestenes. Ibrahim Halloun, who was also Hestenes’ student at the time, was working on an assessment he called the Mechanics Diagnostic, the pre-cursor of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI).(Halloun & Hestenes, 1985a, 1985b)
The results of Halloun’s research utilizing this test revealed that student misconceptions about force are surprisingly robust, and that these naïve beliefs often persist despite instruction–regardless of the teaching method or the instructor’s qualifications (Halloun & Hestenes, 1985b). Wells, an excellent teacher had already adopted a student-centered inquiry approach based on Learning Cycles (Lawson, 1986, 1994, 2010). When he administered Halloun’s simple measure of student beliefs he was shocked by how poorly his students performed.
In an effort to address this problem, Wells designed a classroom teaching experiment for his dissertation research project, redesigning the mechanics portion of his physics course to focus on the eight fundamental conceptual models of mechanics described by Hestenes.(1979; David Hestenes, 1983) Adding his newly acquired understanding of the structure of models and the stages that characterized the activity of modeling to his existing instructional design based on Robert Karplus’ learning cycles, (Karplus, 1980) Wells developed a two-stage Modeling Cycle: 1) model development,consisting of description, formulation, ramification and validation and 2) model deployment, in which the model developed in stage 1 was applied to a variety of novel physical situations (Wells, Hestenes, & Swackhamer, 1995). It is this cycle that forms the basis for Modeling Instruction as it is currently practiced by over
Modeling Workshops for Summer 2013
Introduction
Modeling Workshops are listed alphabetically by state. Most are three-week summer workshops that thoroughly treat the pedagogy and content for a high school physics, chemistry, physical science or biology course. Content is reorganized around basic models to increase its structural coherence. Participants are supplied with a complete set of course materials and work through activities alternately in the roles of student or teacher, as they practice techniques of guided inquiry and cooperative learning. At many workshops, teachers receive stipends and/or tuition waivers, instructional materials, and sometimes housing at reduced rates. (State-funded workshops provide these only for in-state teachers.) Generally, workshops use whatever probes and interfaces are available at the site.
The AMTA recommends workshops that are three weeks in duration because these provide teachers the opportunity to practice the interactive engagement techniques crucial to the successful implementation of Modeling Instruction in the classroom. Two-week workshops can also be effective, provided academic year follow-up support is available.
Ask Your School District to Pay
School District “No Child Left Behind” funds (NCLB or ESEA Title II-A) can be used for “professional development activities that improve the knowledge of teachers … in:
- Content knowledge. Providing training in one or more of the core academic subjects that the teachers teach; and
- Classroom practices. Providing training to improve teaching practices and student academic achievement through effective instructional strategies, methods, and skills …”
A Modeling Workshop can be an excellent investment for your school because you can become a valuable resource for teaching science effectively with technology! Modeling Instruction meets the NCLB requirement of “high quality professional development that is based on scientifically-based research.” Charter school teachers and private school teachers are eligible for Title II-A funds through a local education agency (LEA). Furthermore, “Title II, Part A funds may be used to purchase materials and supplies used in professional development activities, including the materials (such as graphing calculators) that a teacher will need in order to apply the professional development in a classroom setting…” Title II funds may be used to assist teachers in meeting state certification requirements, e.g., by paying for the costs of additional required courses. It is reasonable to request up to $1000 for this purpose.
Title II-A funds are FEDERAL; despite warnings that these may go away, funding appears to exist for 2013. Next year’s funds start on July 1, and you can ask for those funds to pay for modeling workshops that start after June 30.
Your principal is the person to ask; he/she can contact your district Title II Coordinator and request them. We encourage you to download this NCLB Guide and give it to your administrator to support your request. Be courteous; if modeling workshops are NOT in your district’s yearly plan (submitted to the State Department of Education), then you can be denied those funds. If this occurs, you need to get involved in deciding how your district makes use of Title II-A funds each year. Another option is to ask your school district to offer a Modeling Instruction workshop. Give this guide ModlInstr-SchoolDistrict to your science coordinator or staff developer.
Click here to download a sample grant proposal that should help you obtain funding from your district. If you need to apply for a grant outside your school, download a list of funding sources (updated in 2010).
Workshops by State
Below is a partial list of workshops. More will be added later, as information becomes available. Some workshops are contingent on funding and sufficient enrollment to make them cost-effective. Unless otherwise noted, workshops are open to high school and post-secondary science teachers worldwide. [Updated 12/12/12]
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Wisconsin
For more information go to: http://modelinginstruction.org/teachers/workshops-2013/