Session 1: Favorite Model

Favorite Model: A Group Icebreaker

This is an interactive, teacher-colleague activity to help open the discussion about developing and using models in science and science teaching. 

A model of the Whitewater watershed built with legos.

A lego model of the Whitewater watershed, courtesy of Nathan Stohlmann.

Procedure icon Teacher-Colleague Activity

Procedure

  1. Open to a blank page in your notebook.
  2. Think of your favorite teaching model in science – a diagram, equation, chart, 3D scale model, graph or other illustration that you use with your students.
  3. Draw this model in your notebook. (Note: It might be tempting to use a diagram from a textbook or point to a poster on the wall, but please take the time to draw this conceptual model in your notebook.)
  4. When finished find another teacher in the room and take a few minutes to explain your model to your partner.
    • What concept(s) does it help teach?
    • Why do you like using this model with students?
    • How does this model help student understand the concept(s)? Provide evidence if you can.
  5. Now your partner gets a few minutes to introduce their model to you.
  6. Exchange notebooks so you now have your partner’s model. Find another teacher in the room and introduce your original partner’s model to your new partner.
  7. Then your new partner explains the model in their borrowed notebook to you.
  8. Again, exchange notebooks, find another teacher, and repeat the process.
  9. Repeat this process until you have spoken to all the teachers in the group, each time having explained a different model to a different person. For large groups, limit the number of notebook exchanges to four or five.
  10. Return notebooks to their owners.

 

Discussion.png Discussion

  • What was it like to do this? What specifically made this fun and/or valuable to do?
  • What was the most interesting or engaging model that you encountered (other than your own)? What are some reasons you especially liked this model?
  • What do all the models have in common?
  • What do you think are the components of a quality scientific model?
  • Pick one model from the group.
    • What are the strengths of this model, i.e., what does it explain well?
    • What do you think is the level of precision of this model in illustrating the concept or system it is intended to explain?
    • What are the limitations of this model in terms of presenting the phenomenon or system it represents?
  • What is it about models that makes them so valuable to scientists and engineers?
  • Why are models so valuable to science teaching?
  • What do you think were the learning goals of this activity?

 

Take Two minutes for a quick evaluation of today’s session: Module 2 Session 1 Survey

Facilitator Note

If time permits, you may continue with the Constructing a Conceptual Model activity on the next page or wait to continue at your next session.