Bridging the Gap Between Tabletop Models and the Earth System

This classroom research project seeks to understand more about how teachers teach and students learn using physical models in Earth Science. A key finding is that classroom teaching with models tends to be disconnected from teaching with data, even when the same teacher does both in the same course. This is in contrast to the situation in scientific research data, where there is a constant interplay between the two. We suggest a teaching sequence in which students experience using data to develop and test a model and conversely use model output to guide the collection of data.

• Read Kastens, et al, NARST paper: Students’ use of physical models to experience key aspects of scientists’ knowledge creation process