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Article Excerpt
In this paper, we report on a program of study called Adventures in Modeling that challenges the traditional scientific method approach in science classrooms using StarLogo modeling software. Drawing upon previous successful efforts with older students, and the related work of other projects working with younger students, we explore: (a) What can younger students learn about complex systems and scientific methodology using this set of educational technology tools; (b) How do they respond to the open-ended nature of the Adventures in Modeling curriculum; and (c) How can the curriculum be adapted to better meet their needs. Using a naturalistic paradigm, we investigate differences between fifth and seventh graders and how, as a group, they respond in a different manner than other older students with whom we have worked. We also evaluate the degree to which their projects and practices embody the modeling and complex systems understanding that we have seen these activities promote in older students. We found that while students initially struggled with several aspects of the complex systems paradigm and required additional scaffolding, most of the students successfully built projects that demonstrated at least a rudimentary understanding of systems and how to analyze them. In comparison, the fifth graders were more readily engaged by the Adventures in Modeling curriculum, perhaps due to the playful design and exploration that StarLogo modeling encourages. This finding echoes other researchers (Rieber, 1996) who have supported a similar notion that student learning at this level could benefit from greater play. This successful implementation of complex systems learning at a young age is important because, like many deep-rooted misconceptions in science, it may be easier to dispel the misconception of the centralized mindset (Resnick, 1994) at an earlier age before it has been reinforced by years of schooling.
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INTRODUCTION
Emphasis in school science programs is often placed on following a prescribed "scientific method" in which students confirm or disconfirm predefined hypotheses in a linear, logical sequence. Such activities fail to incorporate and thereby acknowledge that (1) authentic scientific investigations require the allocation of a great deal of time to a kind of non-linear exploration, (2) variables are not provided and are often constructed, and (3) flaws in methodology and interpretation are constantly scrutinized; this may lead to the development of alternative explanations (Chinn & Malhotra, 2001). This false practice of the scientific method leaves students with a fundamental misunderstanding not only of the practice of science itself, but also of the nature and behavior of the systems scientific research attempts to understand. Furthermore, the linear nature of investigation and quest for the right answer fostered by traditional school science (Driver, Asoko, Leach, Mortimer, & Scott, 1994; Duschl, 1990) implies, amongst other things, that there is a one-to-one cause and effect relationship between variables, i.e., that any given input to a system will lead to a specific outcome. This type of analysis ignores important real-world complex system dynamics such as random effects and feedback that can produce unexpected results (Chinn & Malhotra, 2002). Research (cf. Resnick, 1996; Penner, 2001) has shown that students struggle with understanding such complex systems despite the importance of this conceptual domain in high school science (Jacobson, 2001). The role of complex systems in authentic scientific practice and the recognized place of modeling in the curriculum (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993) indicate that improving student understanding of complex systems and conveying more authentic scientific methodologies ought to be a significant component of science education reform.
In this paper, we report on a program of study called Adventures in Modeling that challenges the traditional scientific method approach in science classrooms while building understanding of complex systems. It was created to help teachers and students investigate complex systems through designing, building, and analyzing models of physical and social phenomena using multiple variables interacting at any given time. This design-construction process is thought to be critical in enabling students to construct a deep understanding of scientific concepts (Papert, 1980; Kafai & Resnick, 1996). Using a well-developed and stable computer modeling tool called StarLogo, students program agents or creatures to interact with one another and their environment, and study the emergent patterns from these interactions (Resnick, 1994). In StarLogo, one writes simple rules for individual behaviors of agents that "live" and move in a two-dimensional environment. For instance, a student might create a model of an epidemic by defining rules for healthy and sick people that describe how they should move, how they interact, and how they become healthy or sick. Because StarLogo makes use of graphical output, when the student watches many people simultaneously following those rules, s/he can observe how patterns in the system, like the spread of a disease, arise out of individual behaviors.
BACKGROUND
Adventures in Modeling
StarLogo (http://education.mit.edu/starlogo) has been available for several years and has been adopted for classroom use in countries worldwide. However, for many teachers and students, it has a high barrier to entry due to programming model requirements (although it is accessible even to novices), and a relatively new domain of knowledge. To address this difficulty, an introductory guide to modeling complex dynamic systems was created (Klopfer & Colella, 1999; Klopfer & Colella, 2000). The Adventures in Modeling (Colella, Klopfer, & Resnick, 2001) curriculum (http://education.mit.edu/starlogo/adventures) was designed to introduce participants to the computational and cognitive aspects of modeling complex, dynamic systems. It was constructed to foster a playful, cooperative, and creative spirit while at the same time providing adequate structure for learning how to build models. To accomplish this balance between structure and exploration, activities are organized around a set of open-ended StarLogo design challenges on the computer and a series of off-computer activities in which participants enact and analyze a simulation.
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
Each challenge is a problem statement that is meant to guide participants' explorations and spark their creative thinking. For example, one challenge asks participants to build a model in which creatures react to their environment. In response to this challenge, one might create a model of a ball bouncing off a wall, a car following road signs, or a bee navigating to its hive. Every challenge includes sample projects, which students are encouraged to explore. The challenges and accompanying sample projects facilitate model design and construction, build familiarity with the StarLogo environment, and introduce the principles of complex systems.
Although "on-screen" computer modeling is one focus of our workshops, "off-screen" activities provide another way to connect abstract notions of scientific systems to personal experience (Colella, 2001a). These activities allow participants to think about concepts like exponential growth, local versus global information, and group decision-making from a personal perspective. For instance, in...
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