Improving learning through modelling: A theoretical approach to teaching and assessment based on modelling activities

Abstract

Modelling in physics instruction has a long history, but surprisingly, there is no general theory of modelling. However, most of the practices in constructing models are well known to physics educators: the necessity for a detailed assessment of the problem, the use of multiple representations and the need to evaluate the outcome. In this paper, I will outline the theoretical basis for these practices and show how the cognitive psychology of problem solving can lead to fresh insights into the modelling process, in particular allowing access to the very rich literature on problem solving in physics dating back to the 1980s. I show how the same steps required for the construction on a model lend themselves to the construction of interactive teaching sequences and assessments.