“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” -Carl Sagan
If you have ever taken a Modeling Instruction workshop, then you know of Dr. Jane Jackson. You most likely have spoken with her, met her, or at least received an email from her. She is the introductory face of the MI movement. At least, she was for me. This week you get to peek behind the curtain. Everyday, she will tell her story in her own words...
By Jane Jackson, Ph.D.
"What is most important? I ask myself that, often. What is most important to me
is growing in wisdom and love; i.e., evolving in character. Love encompasses and
includes understanding – so understanding is important to me. Physics is a great
way to understand the world. Physics has profoundly influenced my life & career.
When I was a teenager, I wondered: 'What is the essence of reality? What is life? What is the essence of being a human?' I finally said, 'These questions are too hard; I cannot address them!' Then I asked, 'What is the essence of physical reality?' I decided, 'This is do-able. I can pursue this question.'
In high school, I took physics. It was boring, textbook-oriented, seemingly unrelated to my questions and my life. At the public library, I checked out THE EVOLUTION OF PHYSICS by Albert Einstein & Leopold Infeld. It convinced me to become a physicist. It seemed to address the essence of physical reality.
My career is in physics education. I taught physics for 18 years: 8 at South Dakota State University, and then 10 at Scottsdale Community College. Since 1994 I have worked in the ASU Department of Physics, co-directing the Modeling Instruction Program of professional development for high school science teachers. Modeling Instruction produces thinkers; it promotes understanding in science. David Hestenes, now Emeritus Professor of Physics at ASU, developed a Modeling Theory of Instruction in the 1980s. Malcolm Wells, physics teacher at Marcos De Niza High School in Tempe, adapted it for high school. It is VERY effective!
Modeling Instruction re-creates scientists’ practice, in the classroom. The central activity of scientists is building and deploying scientific models. That’s what we do. Modeling Instruction reveals the structure of physics. And it promotes teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. It develops character: empathy, self-reliance, grit. That’s our work -- social and cultural embeddedness in the community, an ASU Design Principle.
My greatest accomplishment was expanding Modeling Instruction to the nation. I did this with David Hestenes at first, and later as a volunteer for the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA). In 14 years at ASU, I grew the program to 50 Modeling Workshops nationwide each summer. 10% of the nation’s high school physics teachers have taken a Modeling Workshop. Colleges use it too."
Find out the answer to her opening question: "What is most important?" in the next installment...
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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