By Carmela Jones, MNS
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -Nelson Mandela
Have you ever known a secret where outside forces consistently compelled it to remain just that, a secret? What if it was something so powerful that you really, really, really must share it with the world? Maybe the world wasn’t ready to accept it just yet.
On the other hand, maybe it finally is, right here, right now…
I know a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) teaching secret called Modeling Instruction (MI) that feels just like that. It’s a secret, not by choice, but by external influences fueled mostly by ignorance. People, through no fault of their own, just don’t know or understand Modeling Instruction.
MI is in the same category as “science inquiry” or “engineering design.” It means whatever it means to an individual. The phrase, Modeling Instruction, is made up of two words that everyone has personal experiences around. They attach their own definition to the phrase based on those experiences. Meanwhile, all sorts of misconceptions and misunderstandings automatically tag along.
MI at its core, attempts to shift paradigm thinking away from misconceptions toward observable, shared data collection experiences where logical consensus can be achieved building a workable model to interpret characteristics and behaviors of physical phenomena.
Do you see the irony? To fully understand MI, one must begin by identifying their own biases and misconceptions, sharing a training experience, and finally creating a consensus understanding about what MI is and how MI works. It is impossible to really know and understand Modeling Instruction without the training and consensus piece. Trying to teach using MI with just a written lesson is like putting together a puzzle without having the picture on the box to compare your progress.
Add your name to those who support Modeling Instruction (MI) by liking & subscribing to The STEM Secret blog here (there's a subscribe button at the top and the bottom of the page: https://www.thestemsecret.com) and by liking & following The STEM Secret FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/theSTEMSecret/?modal=admin_todo_tour).
If you are a Modeling teacher, share your story by sending it to the email listed. If you know a great Modeling teacher, encourage them to send their story to the email listed. cjones.stemprofessionals@gmail.com.
If you are Modeling teacher and want to interact with other Modeling teachers with a question, an issue, a classroom experience, an announcement, or anything other MI teachers might be interested in, post it on the M2M (Modeler to Modeler) blog on the AMTA site. https://modelinginstruction.org/submit-a-blog-entry-to-m2m/
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