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update to Modeling Workshops, impact on teachers



Here's an update to the list of Modeling Workshops nationwide, that I
posted recently. Also, here are comments by teachers on the significance of
Modeling Instruction.
cheers,
Jane


ADDITIONS & CORRECTIONS to MODELING WORKSHOPS NATIONWIDE:

Dates of these workshops have changed to:
* Illinois State University in Normal, July 9-20
* Florida Atlantic University (north campus), July 30-Aug. 3.
* Woodcreek High School near Sacramento, CA, July 30-Aug. 3 and Aug. 6-10.
* Widener University near Philadelphia, PA, Aug. 13-17.

New workshop:
* University of Hawaii at Manoa (in Honolulu), July 9-14.
Biology Program Office, UH at Manoa: 808-956-8303, biology@hawaii.edu

(For information on all Modeling Workshops, visit http://modeling.asu.edu)


What is the impact of Modeling Instruction on teachers?
Last September, I surveyed participants in David Hestenes' NSF MODELING
INSTRUCTION IN HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS grant. I report here the teacher
responses from a single telling question on the survey. (Among those who
still teach physics the response rate was 112/146 = 77%.)

Question: All in all, what is the long-term impact of Modeling Instruction
on your teaching practice?
Response statistics:
highly significant: 100. 90%
moderately significant: 9
significant in a few ways, but not in most ways: 2
60% of the responders chose to elaborate their answers. I organized them by
workshop site and starting year. Here's 1 of the 8 groups (i.e., 8 workshop
series). (All teachers gave written permission to quote them publicly.)
------------------------------------------
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT RIVER FALLS SITE:

Jon Fishwild, Oregon WI
Highly significant. Modeling has proven to be a career-saving change. I
always felt OK about teaching, but I never felt truly "alive" until
implementing full-scale modeling. Kids are truly engaged in what they are
doing, and I learn something new every year about the process and how to
improve upon it.

Fran Poodry, New Jersey
Highly significant. This is the way I always wanted to teach but had been
unable to figure out on my own after several years in the classroom! It
makes more sense to me than how I learned physics. I feel like the kids are
really learning, and when they get to college they feel very
prepared...several have told me so directly!

John Koski, St. Louis MO
Highly significant. Before Modeling I was using a curriculum and a
teaching method that relied on students getting by with rote memorization
It was not very stimulating for the students or me. Last year I took the
plunge, threw out that curriculum, and embraced Modeling. What a positive
difference! This year I am at a new school/new school district, teaching
only physics and using only the Modeling method. (One of my main
motivations for accepting the new job was that the school was anxious to
bring modeling into its curriculum!)

Margaret Furdek, rural Wisconsin
Highly significant. The students seem to be learning so much and certainly
appear to be having fun while being challenged. Several times I've heard
students say, "This class seems to go so fast."
I'd like to help disseminate the methodology and technology during
school time. Unfortunately, teachers seem to be assigned more tasks every
year. This progression isolates us and takes away from communication
between colleagues. It is a pity that we don't say "boo" to each other
except at department meetings, and those have been eaten up by
district-mandated requirements regarding state testing and state standards.
We just don't get a chance to talk with each other about our experiences
or how best students learn. Our department has purchased 2 LabPros and
biology-oriented probes to use in biology labs but the biology teachers
haven't yet had time to learn how to apply them.

Tony Nicholson, Greenwich CT
Highly significant; modeling has changed my entire approach to teaching
even though I was considered a very successful teacher before modeling
(achieved a Presidential award etc) I realize that modeling is what I was
searching for to help my students achieve a more thorough understanding of
the physics ideas I was interested in having them learn and appreciate.
Modeling has also inspired me to continue teaching physics at a time I
thought I had done it as best I could and was ready to retire. I only wish
I had discovered modeling sooner.

Tom Todd, suburb of Chicago
Highly significant. Modeling has permanently changed my methodology. I have
taken modeling as learned in the physics content area and employed it in
other classes (astronomy, geology, physical science). It has forced me to
"clean house", reduced content volume in these other courses and triggered
a restructuring of lab/worksheet material to fit modeling. Student
response to these changes have been overwhelmingly positive. In the past
three years I have designed and tested two evaluative instruments similar
to the FCI. My second editions of "Space Science Concept Inventory" and
"Earth Science Concept Inventory" are being run in my building this year.
While I'll need a while to accumulate more of an "n" before getting too
statistical, already these tests have provided invaluable feedback on
student progress and the efficacy of my instruction. It is my firm belief
that elements of modeling can and must be applied to all content areas of
science.
----------------------------------------------
This is excerpted from the 18-page "Findings of the Modeling Workshop
Project", which you can download as a pdf document at
<http://modeling.asu.edu>. Click on the high school project.

Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics & Astronomy,ASU,Tempe,AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7331 <http://modeling.asu.edu>