Abstract
Building and using models to make sense of phenomena or to design solutions to problems is a key science and engineering practice. Using technology-based tools in class can promote the development of students’ modeling practice, systems thinking, and causal reasoning. In this chapter we focus on the development of students’ system modeling competence that became evident as students engaged in the modeling practice while using an online modeling tool in the context of a high school chemistry unit. We describe and provide examples for four aspects of system modeling competence: (1) defining the boundaries of the system by including components in the model that are relevant to the phenomena under investigation, (2) determining appropriate relationships between components in the model, (3) using evidence and reasoning to build, evaluate, and revise models, and (4) interpreting the behavior of a model to determine its usefulness in explaining and making predictions about phenomena. We discuss how building, using, evaluating, and revising models can be classified into the four system modeling competence aspects, and how technology tools can support the development of students’ system modeling competence.
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Notes
- 1.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 1417900 and 1417809. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
- 2.
SageModeler can be freely accessed at https://learn.concord.org/building-models
- 3.
Chemistry unit lead author Erin Cothran, a teacher at Hudson High School, in Hudson, MA.
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Bielik, T., Stephens, L., Damelin, D., Krajcik, J.S. (2019). Designing Technology Environments to Support System Modeling Competence. In: Upmeier zu Belzen, A., Krüger, D., van Driel, J. (eds) Towards a Competence-Based View on Models and Modeling in Science Education. Models and Modeling in Science Education, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30255-9_16
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