2/23 Caitlin - Revising Resources

Harlow’s study focused on computational modeling and how pre-service teachers understand it. A recurring theme I noticed in Harlow’s paper was the discussion that creating and using models is a necessary science practice that science students should learn. A Framework puts emphasis on the learning how to create, analyze, revise, and use models to explain and argue scientific and engineering concepts. Other authors, such as Nersessian, Pickering, and Wilensky, say that models should not just be accurate (consistent with scientific research), but they should also be predictive of phenomena. Many of the Netlogo models, even the oneTurtle.jar we have looked at, or modified, do have predictive power, though the oneTurtle is a little more limited. We also have been able to revise our models, sometimes with others giving suggestions to improve the program. This is an example of how students in future classrooms should be working with all models.

Writing and adjusting lesson plans according to student thinking and understanding was another theme in the paper. In the Science Literacy class from last semester, we touched on interviews and informal assessments to check for student thinking. It was interesting to see the same done for a class of pre-service teachers. Interviewing can bring out background knowledge, misconceptions about ideas, and changes in knowledge. This was seen in the homework assignments and interviews in Harlow’s study. I also had some misconceptions about computational modeling and programming when being introduced to Netlogo. I knew that it is a good teaching tool and resource for students to learn concepts more deeply. However, I was not sure what computational modeling would look like (I have had limited experience with coding), in the classroom (time-wise, difficulty, etc). Fortunately, this class is altering my views and understanding of how computational modeling works.

Harlow et al. revealed some pedagogical resources that the students used appropriately, and inappropriately, in different situations. The authors argued that these resources need to built upon so pre-service science teachers are more prepared when they are teaching their own classes. The first two resources, which connect to the adjusting lesson plan theme, are about how to guide students and when the answer should be given. The third resource is about terminology. The Wolf Sheep Predation and Mimicry Netlogo models I looked at did not include the terminology, at least not on the interface, that students would need to know for a standardized test. Should a model include terminology? Or, when should such science vocabulary be taught to students? Harlow seems to agree that students need to know the terminology for discussion about what they learned, but when should terms be introduced? I was thinking a scaffolded worksheet for students to work on throughout a modeling activity could help here.

Science question: Why are insects so small (I’m glad they are though)? I think this is a body mass and shape versus skeleton size and strength type of question?