Making Sense of Models: Connecting Science and Math Through Decoding and Modifying Computational Models

Abstract

The Making Sense of Models (MSM) curriculum was designed to bridge math and science learning through agent-based modeling and rich computational thinking investigations that do not require teaching computer programming in middle school classrooms. The MSM curriculum supports students in the NGSS skill of reasoning about how and why a phenomenon happens. After developing decoding skills, students are able to assess the validity of a model based on comparing mechanisms in the model to what they learned about the phenomenon being modeled. In this article, the authors describe the decoding approach and how the MSM curriculum supports students’ ability to reason about scientific models and the real world.