Models are great forms of showing reasoning and growth in the discipline of science (among other content areas). Reading about modeling and the potential impact it can have makes me curious and anxious to utilize this tool within my classroom. Up to this point I'd never heard of modeling and as one article pointed out, this form of teaching takes time and "PD involving ambitious pedagogy".
As I read I started to conceptualize modeling as an activity within my classroom. Activities that are engaging, purposeful, and differentiated are always sought in order to cater to students needs. Modeling in the sense of having them produce a visual representation of their learning seems like such an activity. Through the readings I was able to better understand that models are best used for portraying a particular event and should be revisited over time to show growth. It is also important that the concept is being explained in the model, as to avoid "posterizing". Another benefit is the ability to apply modeling to various forms of collaboration including small groups, whole-group, or on an individual basis. This allows for class interaction and promotes engagement.
Reading these two articles made me reflect and question where I could implement these strategies into my classroom. Most immediately I think of standards that aren't as concrete such as particle movement between the states of matter, physical and chemical change, and/or conservation of mass. These stick out the most because they'd provide the opportunity for students to depict visuals of these as processes with indefinite outcomes. This makes a modeling activity less concrete then the scientific method or engineering design process would be, and should challenge them appropriately within the classroom. Can't wait to take a stab at it.
I got maybe an hourish pd on models when I entered into my district. But part of the intro was that the content was minimal and there was much more to it. What I got out of it was that they were to be basically alive and interactive in some way, but not like the traditional model of what a "cell" looks like. I took offense of the word model as I felt it was inefficient in describing what they were wanting done. I still struggle with the concept but will just say try it, you may be pleasantly surprised. When I have students do a rough draft of what they are thinking for one I will tell them they should have at least one picture, some words and maybe an arrow... that usually seems to help them get started.
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