Developing Models in Science Education

✍ Scribed by John K. Gilbert, Carolyn J. Boulter, Roger Elmer (auth.), John K. Gilbert, Carolyn J. Boulter (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 384
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Models and modelling play a central role in the nature of science, in its conduct, in the accreditation and dissemination of its outcomes, as well as forming a bridge to technology. They therefore have an important place in both the formal and informal science education provision made for people of all ages. This book is a product of five years collaborative work by eighteen researchers from four countries. It addresses four key issues: the roles of models in science and their implications for science education; the place of models in curricula for major science subjects; the ways that models can be presented to, are learned about, and can be produced by, individuals; the implications of all these for research and for science teacher education. The work draws on insights from the history and philosophy of science, cognitive psychology, sociology, linguistics, and classroom research, to establish what may be done and what is done. The book will be of interest to researchers in science education and to those taking courses of advanced study throughout the world.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xi
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Positioning Models in Science Education and in Design and Technology Education....Pages 3-17
Science and Education: Notions of Reality, Theory and Model....Pages 19-40
Constructing a Typology of Models for Science Education....Pages 41-57
Mathematical Models in Science....Pages 59-90
Front Matter....Pages 91-92
Grasping Mental Models....Pages 93-118
Investigating the Role of Representations and Expressed Models in Building Mental Models....Pages 119-135
Modelling and Creativity in Design and Technology Education....Pages 137-156
Thought Experiments and Embodied Cognition....Pages 157-176
Computers and the Development of Mental Models....Pages 177-189
Front Matter....Pages 191-192
Explanations with Models in Science Education....Pages 193-208
Teaching with Historical Models....Pages 209-226
Models in Explanations of Chemistry: The Case of Acidity....Pages 227-251
Models in the Explanations of Physics: The Case of Light....Pages 253-269
The Role of Models in Biotechnology Education: An Analysis of Teaching Models....Pages 271-287
Language, Models and Modelling in the Primary Science Classroom....Pages 289-305
Teaching and Learning about Chemistry and Modelling with a Computer managed Modelling System....Pages 307-323
The Structure and Development of Science Teachers’ Pedagogical Models: Implications for Teacher Education....Pages 325-341
Challenges and Opportunities of Developing Models in Science Education....Pages 343-362
Back Matter....Pages 363-387

✦ Subjects

Science Education; Learning & Instruction; Cognitive Psychology; Philosophy of Science