Developing models with students requires that we attend to a number of things. Our students must have something to share ideas about--a phenomenon that requires explanation)--and often need to have first developed some kind of a focal question so that our attention to that phenomenon is bounded. It is also critical that students feel safe in sharing their ideas. This requires not only setting a classroom culture where students feel safe in sharing, but also framing the immediate task for students so that they understand the goal of sharing out ideas (e.g. "we are just brainstorming ideas here" or "pick your best idea from your group and be ready to share out").
The following are common difficulties teachers encounter when eliciting initial model ideas from students.
1. How do you get everyone to participate in whole-class model-building discussions, and how do you keep a few individuals from dominating the conversation?
Like small group discussions, whole class discussions can easily be dominated by a few students. Many of the suggestions below are known strategies for engaging students in general. A few are more specific to a MBER classroom and points during the development of a model.
- Random calling (however, be sure to allow students a chance to check in with a peer first)
- Rapid fire share out - every student must say one thing, even if it’s been shared.
- This can work well when generating initial model ideas; you can then go back and consolidate the list.
- Five finger voting - students raise fingers to express their level of agreement (1-Totally agree, 2-Mostly agree, 3-No strong feelings one way or another, 4-Disagree, 5-Oppose); students continue to express their position/thoughts until everyone is at a 1, 2, or 3.
- This can work well when coming to consensus about model statements or other matters where it is important to build consensus.
- Four corners/Pick a side/Face off - Students choose a position and gather with the other students who have the same position, the group discusses their points and elects a spokesperson (you can also assign a spokesperson) to represent their position in the class discussion; this can also be done by having the spokes people meet in the middle of the room and anyone else who wants to share, line up behind them to take their spot once the first spokesperson has expressed themselves.
2. What if there are ideas missing from the initial model, or students want to keep ideas in the model that you know are wrong?
- Not to worry! This is why it’s called the “initial model”! The activities that follow it are designed to test the model and delve deeper into the model ideas. After each activity the class revisits the initial model to see if revisions are needed. Eventually the correct model ideas emerge and the model is completed. If at any point you feel something is not going to come from the class you can always use the strategy of “seeding” one group.
3. What if students can’t come to an agreement about what should be in the initial model? For example, some students think an idea should be in the model, but other students don’t think it belongs.
- It’s an initial model so it’s ok to leave in ideas that we’re not sure about. We will explore further and hopefully get more clarity on what belongs and what doesn’t. You can mark ideas we’re not sure about with a question mark or asterisk.to indicate we need more information to be sure.
4. What is the purpose of displaying the initial model on a poster?
- This allows us to easily refer back to the initial model, as we will need to do frequently throughout the lesson sequence. The initial model gives context to the explorations to come. It serves as a reminder to students that their ideas are driving the process.