The development of teaching physics through modeling as pedagogical Essay

The development of teaching physics through modeling as pedagogical method in the United States - Essay Example In 1821, when the first public high school in America opened, physics was already a part of the curriculum. By1886, Harvard College established a physics laboratory to improve the physics teaching establishment (Hurd, 1969). We may wonder how physics was taught back then. What caused the development of modeling? The purpose of this literature review is to understand the modeling method that is being applied in physics classrooms today, how this method developed and how physics teachers are being trained to have more effective teaching methods into the future. In scientific terms, a model is a representation of a phenomenon initially produced for a specific purpose. As a ‘phenomenon’ is any intellectually interesting way of segregating a part of the world-as-experienced for further study, models are omnipresent. Teaching science as inquiry is among the most important science standards to be passed to future generations. Modeling is part of teaching science as inquiry beca use it enhances students’ critical thinking skills. For this reason, teachers, such as physics teachers, who play a big role in applying inquiry in the science classroom must be knowledgeable in modeling techniques to encourage students to think critically in areas of inquiry. Modeling constitutes a complete open learning environment appropriate for students 11-17 years old. It supports students as well as teachers during learning/teaching activities.