Sunday, February 8, 2015
2/9 Dan - Wilensky & Wilensky
Readings:
a. One of the things that struck me in both readings was how these seemingly complex phenomena could be modeled with just a few simple rules. In a classroom, I think that could be a powerful way to show how powerful the rules are the constrain the world around us, both in their simplicity and the way that they afford for so many different variations and iterations to occur.
b. I would be interested to find out what other phenomena in physics, besides waves, could be modeled in levels. It’s not a way that I was ever taught to think about physics, but it is fascinating what other practices and theories I have been closed off from.
c. For me, these articles were among the most convincing in demonstrating the power of computational modeling. In the Wilensky & Reisman article, both examples of modeling showed clear connections to the NGSS Practices for Science Classrooms. There were clear questions that were asked, models were used to carry out investigations and to interpret the results. Models were refined to better fit the data throughout each process. It was a clear example of using modeling to as a way to summarize information, but as a tool to explore a new topic.
d. It seems like the articles we have read so far have all been supporting the same general point about modeling, that it is an effective and powerful way to explore new topics in science, and it provides access to topics that would otherwise require advanced mathematical skills.
e. I am excited to get to work with some more advanced modeling software like NetLogo, where we can use more than one agent. It seems that OneTurtle is limited in its ability to be used as a predictive tool.
Question:
On what kind of level does this approach of modeling need to take place? Can it be something that a few teachers decide to use in their classroom? Or does it need a more widespread implementation, where it is being used in multiple grades throughout an entire school or community to really create the change these articles suggest is necessary?
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Good question about how many teachers need to do this to pull it off. My guess is that the more teachers do it the better, but even one teacher could do it successfully because particularly with the one turtle program, the barrier to entry is so low that you don't need much prior knowledge or training time. Might be that for the population modeling stuff you would need to take more time to train kids in your class, or it would be helpful if kids came in with some basic programming knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steve. While the diSessa chapter may have been looking for a more thorough computational literacy, embodied modeling is relatively intuitive and could be successfully adopted by a single teacher. However, having multiple teachers over the course of a few years might provide more interesting opportunities for revision. Over the course of a year or two I think you could have students moving from simple action commands to more creative models as they became more familiar with the various tools available to them (as I hope we will be by the end of this class!)
ReplyDeleteI believe there are affordances and drawbacks to all types of models, whether they are representational, physical, mental, or computational. However, each type of model does have something unique and of value to offer. That being said, I think computational models can be a great tool and should absolutely be implemented in classrooms. Like Steve said, the more teachers using it in their classrooms the better, but even if it is only a couple it has to start somewhere. I would probably say in order to create the change the articles suggest is necessary, a more widespread implementation would be necessary. I like the idea we tossed out last week of having it used throughout grades and the school, but a beginners programming class would likely need to be added early on.
ReplyDeleteDan I think you bring up good questions regarding the use and extent to which modeling should be used in the classroom. I think it honestly would depend on the school and what they want. However, if implemented, I think it should be carried out by most teachers to create a sense of continuity for the students. It does not have to be the same model but the aspect of model and the critical thinking that it requires should stay prevalent throughout all classes. While non-science classes (english and history) do not have computational modeling, maybe they could at times partner with science or math classes and read a book or article related to what the students are learning at the time, such as Galileo or as I experienced during my first Practicum experience, the students reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and create model based off of what they read. Little connections like these I think would provide students with a certain level of connectedness between classes which I think is important.
ReplyDeleteWe also have to remember that we will need patience in implementing modeling in a classroom, not necessarily because students are inexperienced but because it is likely counterintuitive to the what our students know as "schooling." I'd wager most students aren't used to revisiting their work, save the occasional English paper, and it will be pretty disorienting for students to start thinking in a flexible, trial-and-error way (and especially for "errors" to not have ties to student's understanding of their ability/worth).
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