Humans perceive the world by constructing mental models—telling a story, interpreting a map, reading a book. Every way we interact with the world involves mental models, whether creating new ones or building on existing models with the introduction of new information. In
Models-Based Science Teaching, author and educator Steven Gilbert explores the concept of mental models in relation to the learning of science, and how we can apply this understanding when we teach science.
Practicing science teachers at all levels who want to explore new and better ways to frame and model science will find value in this book.
Models-Based Science Teaching is concerned with building models of learning that helps students of all ages understand four basic ideas:
• When they learn something, they are constructing mental models that are by nature simplified and subject to change.
• These models are adopted because they work and not necessarily because they are the only true and most effective ways of understanding the world.
• No one has a complete grasp of any model, and most of the time we are working with approximations of a situation.
• What we create when we communicate are expressions of our inner mental models.
Rather than advocating a rigid curriculum, Gilbert asserts that models-based science teaching embraces the creativity inherent in science and in learning, saying, “The best way to engage students in the creativity of science is engage them in inquiry, beginning with the creation of a problem and ending with a completed expressed model.”
Table of Contents
Preface
About the Author
Chapter 1: MBST and the Nature of Models
What is This Book About?
Defining Models
Summary
For Discussion
References
Chapter 2: Mental Models
Body and Mind
Mind and Mental Models
The Rationale for Mental Models
Incorporating New Information
The Organization of Mental Models
Mental Models and Learning
Propositions and Parsimony
Truths, Archetypes and Creativity
For Discussion
References
Chapter 3: The Nature of Science
Defining Science and Technology
Rethinking the Relationship of Science and Technology
The Processes of Science
The Design of Scientific Tests
Quantitative and Qualitative Models
Statistical Reliability and Validity
Scientific Models and the Stability of Targets
Parsimony and Model Building
An MBST View of Modern Science
Template for the Scientific Model
Summary
For Discussion and Practice
References
Chapter 4: Models and Science Teaching
Content to Inquiry to Model Building
Modeling Science at Different Grade levels
MBST at the Elementary Level
MBST at the Secondary Level
Examples of MBST at Several Grade Levels
Lesson Planning for MBST
Summary
For Discussion and Practice
References
Chapter 5: Building Models in the Classroom
Parsimony and the Organization of Instruction
The Spiral Curriculum
Exploring and Explaining Analogies
Models in School Science Reports
Verbal Modeling
Problem Statements
Theoretical Analyses
Hypothetical Models
Qualitative Descriptive Models
Procedural and Data Models
Models of Results, Discussions, and Conclusions
Mathematical Models
Tabular Data Models
Statistical Models
Formulas and Equations
Graphical Models
Diagrammatic and Pictorial Models
How to Select Elements, Build, and Evaluate a Scientific Model
Finding and Accounting for Errors in Scientific Model Building
Engaging Students in Assessing the Validity and Reliability of Their Models
From Model to Target(s): the Fine Art of Generalizing
The Scientific Research Model
What is the Problem and Reason for Building the Model?
What Could the Model Look Like?
What Data are Most Likely to Reveal Key Relationships?
How Should Data be Treated and Interpreted?
What Outcomes are Likely, Including Potential Misconceptions?
How can the Model be Generalized and Limited?
What Does the Model Reveal About Science and the Context of Science?
How can the Model be Enriched?
Summary
For Discussion and Practice
References
Chapter 6: The Creative Processes of Science
The Art of Creating Problems
Analogy, Simile, and Metaphor in Science
Creativity and Conceptual Blending
Infusing Creativity into School Science
Engaging in Creative Inquiry
Engaging in Visualization
Creating Stories
Brainstorming
What Could Happen If . . .
Summary
For Discussion and Practice
References
Chapter 7: MBST and the Scientific Worldview
Defining a Model of a Scientific Worldview
Characteristics of a Scientific Society
Science and the Mythical Model
Science and Supernatural Modeling
Science and Religious Models
Science, the Media, and Informal Experts
The Scientific Worldview and Professional Science
Developing the Scientific Worldview in the Classroom
Summary
For Discussion and Practice
Appendix 1: Student Readings
Appendix 2: Recommended Resources
Index