Science Modeling Talks

This episode is a conversation with Dr. David Hestenes. Dr. Hestenes talks about his own education and work in various universities and departments. He talks about his graduate education and then goes in-depth about the research that led to developing the ideas and methodology underlying modeling instruction in physics and later other sciences and mathematics.

Guest Bio

David Orlin Hestenes, Ph.D. (born May 21, 1933) is a theoretical physicist and science educator. He is best known as chief architect of geometric algebra as a unified language for mathematics and physics, and as the founder of Modelling Instruction, a research-based program to reform K–12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. For more than 30 years, he was employed in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Arizona State University (ASU), where he retired with the rank of Research Professor and is now emeritus.

Highlights

[18:21] David Hestenes quoting Malcolm Wells: “It’s not enough to know that the students have alternative conceptions or if you will, misconceptions about how the world works because they interpret everything in terms of those. The question is how do you get the students to have the scientific view of what’s going on in the world rather than the common sense everyday world.” [19:15] David Hestenes: “my theoretical view is that science is fundamentally about making and using models of the real world.” [36:55] Dr. Hestenes: “Well, okay, so what is it that is going to make an effective teacher? The trouble with especially physics teachers is that they’re not connected to anybody. Usually the physics teacher is the only physics teacher in the school…” building up local communities [41:02] Mark Royce: “What in your mind is the reason that modeling is successful?” [46:00] Dr. Hestenes: “Without private funding, I don’t think that there can be any substantial STEM education reform.”

Resources

51:15 http://geocalc.clas.asu.edu David Hestenes – transcription

In this episode, Mark talks with Phil Culcasi, a science and math teacher from Illinois, about his experience using modeling methodologies and leading workshops. They talk about asking questions to get at the students' thinking, grading without points, and whiteboarding. They also talk about Phil's work with aspiring teachers and his current project to bring whiteboards and discussion into the precalculus classroom.

Guests

Phil Culcasi Phil Culcasi has over 25 years of experience as a math and science teacher, and has taught at Wheaton Warrenville South High School since 2002 and served as science department chair since 2012. He is an active leader and participant in professional development sessions and workshops regionally and nationally, and also serves as assistant girls basketball coach at WWSHS. Culcasi is also an adjunct professor at the University of St. Francis, teaching graduate level education courses. Culcasi received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, an M.A. in secondary education from Lewis University, and administrative certification from Aurora University. In addition, Culcasi is a 2022 Golden Apple Fellow and was a Presidential Award Winner in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2017. He is also National Board Certified. Twitter

Highlights

[8:55] Phil Culcasi "I think those are the ways to get better as a teacher and to get better at modeling is to watch other teachers, to record yourself and watch yourself, and then think about what you're gonna ask the kids, because it does take time and practice." [20:11] Phil Culcasi "The most difficult part, especially in the new world that we're living in, is getting kids to try the problems before we have the discussion."

Resources

Download Transcript Ep 45 Transcript Links Book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics

In this episode, Mark talks with Kelli Warble, long-time modeler and now works at Arizona State University primarily in physics education. They talk about her early exposure to modeling instruction and the new units for modeling in the middle school math classroom that they're working on, including this summer's bite-size workshops in middle school math. They also talk about several of Kelli's top tips for teaching in the modeling classroom - most of which would be excellent tips for any classroom.

Guests

Kelli Warble   Kelli Warble became hooked on teaching after securing a part-time job running mathematics and science activities for 2nd through 9th graders at an after-school program in central Phoenix. She received early exposure to physics education research via the Methods of Teaching Physics course at Arizona State University, which was (and still is) anchored in Modeling Instruction pedagogy. In 1994, Kelli started teaching mathematics and physics in the Phoenix metropolitan area. She spent 18 years as a high school teacher, primarily at Title I schools. As a high school teacher, Kelli constantly strived towards integrating the Modeling Instruction pedagogy embedded in her science courses into her mathematics courses as well. In fall 2012 she became the full-time Physics Teacher in Residence for Arizona State University. At Arizona State, Kelli currently teaches courses focused on physics education, runs the Learning Assistant program, and is a member of the APS IDEA team focused on diversity and inclusion initiatives. Kelli is also consulting on a new initiative, funded by the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project, to develop curricular materials for Modeling in Middle School Mathematics. She currently serves on the board of the American Modeling Teachers Association as past president, and is also on the board of the American Association of Physics Teachers as president elect. Website | Twitter | Discord: Kelli W#4784

Highlights

[5:12] Kelli Warble "One of the ones that we're working on is a modeling workshop in middle school mathematics. ...and we will be leading our first workshops this June 2023 in Mesa, Arizona." [29:23] Kelli Warble "I've learned that you have to give kids freedom, but not more freedom than they can handle."

Resources

Download Transcript Ep 44 Transcript Links STEM Teachers Phoenix events Next Generation PET

In this episode, Mark talks with Jon Anderson, a physics teacher at the high school and college level, and modeling workshop leader. They discuss the differences he sees in student engagement and understanding when exploring phenomena using the modeling instruction methodology. He also talks about how even veteran teachers look at teaching with a new perspective during and after modeling workshops.

Guests

Jon Anderson Jon Anderson has an M.Ed. in Physics Education and has taught physics for 36 years at both the high school and college levels. Currently, Jon is a Physics Instructor at the University of Minnesota, as well as a Clinical Supervisor of science student teachers. He also works as a consultant for the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) as the PhysTEC Teacher-in-Residence (TIR) Coordinator and as the PhysicsBowl Academic Coordinator. Additionally, he has spent 24 years as a member of the "Physics Force," an outreach team from the University of Minnesota and 20 years as a QuarkNet Lead Teacher. He has been a physics modeler and leading physics modeling workshops since 2008.

Highlights

[11:32] Jon Anderson "I love seeing, particularly veteran teachers, look at teaching physics from a different perspective...taking a different approach to teaching it than, perhaps they had felt comfortable doing before or maybe weren't aware that it was an option." [28:31] Jon Anderson "I always figure if they can't look at the world without seeing physics, then I've been successful."

Resources

Download Transcript Ep 43 Transcript

In this episode, Mark talks with experienced modeler Frank Novakowski about the key changes to his teaching when he began using modeling instruction. They talk about the importance of the storyline in modeling, and how Frank and others are working to make the ideas in biology fit together in a cohesive story. He talks about what teachers do during workshops and how that helps them understand what students might be thinking as they go through activities.

Guests

Frank Novakowski Frank Novakowski has been teaching for 24 years, using modeling instruction methodology since 2003. He is the science curriculum leader at Lake Park High School in Roselle, IL. Frank teaches modeling workshops, including one coming up this summer at Cal Poly. Twitter  

Highlights

[25:41] Frank Novakowski: "I mentioned the importance of going through the materials so that you kind of know what the sequence is and how, and why they were developed that way. But it's also important for teachers to know that there's flexibility and they need to...make modifications to best fit their students." [29:14] Frank Novakowski: "that joint session, I learned, I think as much as any of the participants in the workshop, just talking about that cross-cutting concept of energy and how it's approached in physics, chemistry, and biology, and what are some of the ways that we can try to work together across those three core content areas so that when students take biology and they take chemistry and they take physics, they're getting a similar treatment of, okay, here is how we talk about energy. And it makes sense in all three of these core content areas."

Resources

Download Transcript Ep 41 Transcript

In this episode, Mark talks with Karle Delo and Erica Posthuma, both of whom work on the social media presence of AMTA. They talk about the various ways to find AMTA resources and other teachers online as well as which places are particularly geared toward sharing modeling ideas with administrators or others new to modeling instruction, and which places are most geared toward talking about putting the methodologies into practice. There are so many ways to connect online. Find AMTA where you already spend time online!

Guests

Karle Delo Karle Delo taught middle school science for 10 years, and has been a Modeler since 2016. Currently, she is an Instructional Coach and Technology Integrationist in Mid-Michigan, and leads Middle School Modeling distance learning courses. Karle noticed the transformation in quality discussions, depth of knowledge, and student ownership of learning through the adoption of Modeling Instruction. As the new Director of Marketing for AMTA, she aims to expand AMTA's audience, and introduce more educators to the transformative nature of Modeling. Instagram Erica Posthuma Erica Posthuma has been a science educator since 2001, teaching in both public and private school settings. She attended her first modeling instruction workshop after ten years of teaching, and it completely changed her way of teaching. Erica serves on the board of AMTA and is very active on social media, supporting and sharing ideas with others from all over. Erica is also an associate editor for the Journal of Chemical Education's ChemEdXchange. Twitter

Highlights

[3:19] Erica: "We started this connectED conference in response to the pandemic when we were unable to meet in person for our summer conferences. And we were trying to provide the community a way to connect, even virtually... Now in the upcoming one in February, I know we have four different breakout sessions, and we were very deliberate in our choices for those so that we span all the disciplines. We have biology, we have physics, we have astronomy, we have chemistry. We have something for everybody. [12:09] Karle: "Summary tables are a great tool for organizing information. I know that, a lot of times when we use modeling instruction, there's no textbook. So, what do the kids go back to? A summary table is a great way to give students a concrete thing to go back to where they are recording their learning throughout the process. So George Nelson does a great job of walking you through how to use that and where to find resources (on our YouTube Channel)"

Resources

Download Transcript Ep 41 Transcript Links Register for ConnectED virtual conference Modeling Chemistry - Facebook Group Modeling Mechanics - Facebook Group Modeling Biology - Facebook Group AMTA on Facebook AMTA on Twitter

In this episode, Mark talks with Dwain Desbien, a physics instructor at the community college level, about his research in physics education, methods to get students thinking deeply, and ways that we may consider why we teach what we teach as well as things we could add to improve our students' understanding.

Guests

Dwain Desbien Dwain Desbien teaches physics at the community college level. His research interests include classroom management, alternative problem solving techniques, assessment, goal-less problems, and alternative problem formats. He leads modeling instruction workshops and is always looking at ways to develop and evaluate materials for use in the Modeling approach to Physics. His materials are continually being developed and are currently in use at various institutions across the country. Website | Email

Highlights

[21:21] Dwain Desbien "The other thing that I introduced was what I call goalless problems ...What I mean by a goalless problem is there's no question asked. So, you know, I might walk into the classroom and say, I'm gonna drop this marker from two meters high. Tell me everything you can. Go." [25:40] Dwain Desbien "you're getting the students to think about problem solving concepts in a way that makes them not just go to equations, but they have to critique, they have to think, they have to decide..."

Resources

Download Transcript Ep 40 Transcript Links AMTA Teachers on YouTube

In this episode, Mark talks with middle school modeling teacher George Nelson. They talk about the importance of building skills, rather than just focusing on making it through the assigned topics. Additionally they talk about the importance of classroom community and connecting with students.

Guest

George Nelson George has taught middle school since 2009, and has been using modeling methodology for the past seven years. George became acquainted with Modeling Instruction from the 3rd Masters of Natural Science program at Arizona State University under the leadership of Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz. George takes pride that his students learning science by doing science. To summarize George’s experience, “Seeing my students talking about science has led them to conceptual understanding. While at the same time, they appreciate the actual process of science, which has been one of the most rewarding experiences as an educator.” Twitter | Email: [email protected]

Highlights

[14:41] George Nelson on content vs. skill building in middle school "that's what I try to sell middle school teachers on is I think we look so much on pacing and trying to cover the curriculum and getting all this content. I think if we just ... lead these kids off with solid, fundamental models of forces in motion, particle models, life science... I think they'll pick it up. They'll take it to the next level in high school." [22:40] George Nelson "in order to get kids to learn, you gotta be able to connect with them and build that environment where everyone feels safe."

Resources

Download Transcript Ep 39 Transcript Links Talk Science Primer, PDF

In this episode, Mark talks with Dan Peluso about his time teaching physics and astronomy and the work he has done to help develop the modeling instruction materials and workshop for astronomy modeling (the next one is coming up in January!) They talk about the work he is doing at the SETI Institute with citizen science and bringing access to scientific data and telescope images to classrooms as well as ways that teachers can use astronomy in an inquiry-driven way.

Guests

Dan Peluso Daniel Peluso is an astrophysics PhD candidate with the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and Education Associate (STaCS Principal Investigator, Unistellar Education Associate, and UCAN Assistant Director) for the SETI Institute. Peluso’s PhD project is multi-disciplinary focusing on NASA TESS exoplanet follow-ups and astronomy education research. For astronomy education, Peluso is developing an astronomy citizen science network for education using remote and easy-to-use digital telescopes (Unistellar eVscopes) so teachers and students can observe celestial events and learn science by doing science (e.g. Modeling Instruction Astronomy). Peluso holds a Master of Education in Science Curriculum Development and years experience as a high school science teacher and recently developed a new graduate level inquiry-based astronomy education course for teachers with the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA). Peluso is also an outspoken advocate for mental health, a singer-songwriter, and regularly performs and releases original music under the stage name, Conner Eko. Dan Peluso Website | Twitter | Instagram Connor Eko Website | Instagram | Spotify

Highlights

[34:14] Dan Peluso "So this, this telescope, the Unistellar eVscope is a consumer telescope that's really easy to use, fits in a backpack, and it can collect the data...We can even observe exoplanets, which are planets around other stars. And that data can come to be research level that is actually publishable and it has been publishable. ... And what we're doing is putting these telescopes into the classroom...I work directly with the professors and helping them learn how to use a telescope and also implement it into their curriculum, into their teaching. And I try as best as I can to introduce them to modeling and I even tell them about modeling and invite them to modeling workshops and, you know, encourage them to do more inquiry-based, practices which this telescope can allow them to do. " [39:09] Dan Peluso "So we did this the last iteration of the course, and we're gonna do it again, where teachers and their students, if they want to as well, will actually say, Oh, we want to get an observation of this exoplanet. We wanna plan an exoplanet observation. So I'll then, put that notice up on our communication boards with the Unistellar network around the world and say, Oh, I have a teacher in Maine, or a teacher in, in New Jersey or in California, and their students and the teacher, they wanna get an exoplanet. So then the network will observe it for them and we'll get the data for them and we'll teach the teachers how to do this in their classroom. So not only we're doing modeling, but we're also combining it with like this really focused project-based learning experience where they're literally doing...

In this episode, Mark talks with Ariel Serkin and Brenda Royce about improving student mathematical reasoning. They have given a workshop and a webinar on the topics, and have been working on these ideas for the last few years and have great examples for getting at the thinking needed for students to understand the math involved in the sciences we teach.

Guests

Ariel Serkin Ariel Serkin has been teaching since 2001, most recently as chemistry teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. When Ariel started teaching chemistry after a decade as a history teacher, she looked for ways to take her skills as a historian and bring chemistry alive. Through Modeling Instruction, Ariel’s enables students to develop conceptual models through experimentation, whiteboarding, and class discussions. Trained as a Modeling Instruction leader in 2018, Ariel has led numerous workshops for American Modeling Teachers Association, STEMteachersMassBay, New England Association of Chemistry Teachers and at local, regional, and national conferences on Modeling Instruction, standards based grading, and equity in the science classroom. Ariel currently serves as president for STEMteachersMassBay, and has served as regional representative for American Association of Chemistry Teachers, AACT and on the executive board of the NEACT. She also writes for ChemEdXchange. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Brenda Royce Brenda Royce has her B.A. in Chemistry from California State University, Fresno and M.A. in Education from Fresno Pacific University. She has taught high school chemistry and physics for 27 years after a 14-year career as an environmental analytical chemist and research assistant. She has been using Modeling Instruction in her classes since 1998. Brenda has conducted numerous training workshops in the practices of Modeling Instruction for pre-service and in-service teachers since 2000 in California, Arizona, Texas, and Pennsylvania as well as made presentations about Modeling Instruction at NSTA, WRNC, ChemEd, and BCCE conferences. She has been one of the lead contributors in the development of curriculum materials for Modeling Instruction in chemistry.

Highlights

[4:16] Brenda Royce: "students, if you ask them, how does this compare to that? They will always subtract the two values, just about 90% of the time" [4:33] Brenda Royce: "When they wanna know if they know something, they look to see if they got the right answer, but not the reasons behind it. Whereas of course, scientific community is the why. And ...what caused it to be that way. That's our definition of knowing." [9:58] Brenda Royce "we're distinguishing quantities that are single measurements and relationships that have two different measurements that are intricately linked to one another. " [14:52] Ariel Serkin "So our goal here is to take these abstract concepts and to make them a little more concrete and to put back these diagrams and actual manipulatives, ... to help build their conceptual understanding. And at the same time, they're building their mathematical confidence in what we're doing"

Resources

Download Transcript Ep 37 Transcript Links Biennial...