The Nature of Models

The authors define the importance of models and an understanding of the Nature of Models. They then describe an inquiry activity they did with undergraduate chemistry students to see if they... See More

The authors define the importance of models and an understanding of the Nature of Models. They then describe an inquiry activity they did with undergraduate chemistry students to see if they could lead them to a more sophisticated understanding. While there were not happy that all areas were addressed equally, they describe some impressive changes in student understanding for student that came it with very little background and I believe that follow-up lessons would have addressed the topics students missed in this one. Considering how essential an understanding of models is in all sciences, it would be nice if additional lessons for other levels than college might be introduced, but this is definitely college or a technically oriented secondary teacher lesson.

Developing Understanding of Models

A thorough understanding of models and their applications in science is an important component of background knowledge for any science student. The article presents a lesson developed to pr... See More

A thorough understanding of models and their applications in science is an important component of background knowledge for any science student. The article presents a lesson developed to progress students past the superficial understanding of models to a higher level of understanding. This article presents a method for students to develop an understanding of models based on constructivist learning. The students interact with a black box, pouring water in and observe the results. The students then compared their observations to search for patterns. Based on the patterns, student groups create a paper and pencil model of the inner workings of the box. Students were instructed to develop a representational model that could be used for future predictions and present their model foe peer review. There is a rubric provided in the article for assessment.