Implementation of Modeling Instruction in a High School Chemistry Unit on Energy and States of Matter

Abstract

Interest in student-centered active learning pedagogies is widespread, but discipline-specific examples of implemented instructional approaches are needed to bridge the gap between pedagogical ideas and their enactment. One of these approaches, Modeling Instruction, is an active, student-centered approach wherein students learn through construction and application of conceptual particle models to understand, interpret, and predict observable phenomena. Here, we demonstrate implementation of Modeling Instruction to teach concepts from an Energy and States of Matter unit in high school chemistry. This preliminary study allowed us to begin to understand the connections between the method, student learning, and student attitudes. Analyses of pre-test, unit exam, and final exam questions provide qualitative support of the method's efficacy. For the two objectives examined here, over 60% of students demonstrated mastery by the end of a unit taught through Modeling Instruction. Semester-long improvements in exam scores suggest that Modeling Instruction facilitates content mastery and retention more effectively than traditional instruction. Finally, anecdotal evidence, particularly insights into student mindset, shows that Modeling Instruction positively impacts the ways students think about their own learning.

The effects of modeling‐based pedagogy on conceptual understanding, scientific reasoning skills, and attitudes towards science of English learners

“…The EL students in this study experienced a small gain in their reasoning skills while the non‐EL students had a zero gain. This is similar to past research showing gains in scientific reasoning when modeling‐based pedagogy is utilized with non‐EL students (e.g., Jenkins & Howard, 2019; Kim et al, 2015; Liang et al, 2012). Inquiry based implementations have demonstrated increases in inquiry skills for elementary EL students that were on par with their non‐EL peers (Cuevas et al, 2005).…”

“…This is done by having students incorporate the use of the science modeling cycle to help students develop and refine science models. It has been successful in non‐EL science classrooms in multiple contexts and disciplines beyond simply using inquiry‐oriented methods (e.g., Jenkins & Howard, 2019; Kim et al, 2015; Liang et al, 2012).…”

Pengaruh Modeling Instruction dalam Mengantarkan Siswa Menguasai Topik Suhu dan Kalor Serta Aplikasinya

“…Modeling instruction menekankan pendekatan pembelajaran dalam tiga langkah, yaitu pengorganisasian konten materi, pemberian peran utama terhadap kegiatan laboratorium untuk mengembangkan konsep, dan menemukan jalan agar guru dan siswa saling berinteraksi (Dukerich, 2015). Model pembelajaran ini disebut sebagai pengajaran berbasis penelitian (research-based pedagogy), di mana siswa belajar melalui pengonstruksian dan penerapan model konseptual untuk memahami, menginterpretasikan, dan memprediksi fenomena yang diamati (Jenkin et al, 2019). Modeling instruction memiliki dua tahap dalam membelajarkan siswa, yaitu model development dan model deployment.…”

Flipping The Use of Science-Technology and Society Issues as Triggering Students' Motivation and Chemical Literacy

“…here is a consensus on the need for deeper, more conceptually, rooted knowledge that students can relate to and apply to real-world problems in science-related fields, such as chemistry (Bulte et al, 2006;Cigdemoglu and Geban, 2015;Gilbert, 2006;Jenkins and Howard, 2019). However, traditional learning pedagogies do not seem to foster schematic applicable knowledge for the majority of students (Greeno et al, 1996).…”

“…According to Jenkins and Howard (2019), student-centered active learning pedagogies are widespread, but disciplinespecific examples of implemented instructional approaches are needed to bridge the gap between pedagogical ideas and their enactment. The flip learning (FL) model has gained high demand since the model is perceived to address some challenges encountered in instruction, the model especially lets instructors allocate more time to student-centered learning environments (Eryilmaz and Cigdemoglu, 2019).…”