The Contribution of Learning by Modeling (LbM) toStudents' Understanding of Complexity Concepts

Abstract

Abstract-This paper describes part of a project about Learning-by-Modeling (LbM). The ideas of complexity are increasingly becoming an integral part in understanding natural and social sciences. Previous research indicates that involvement with modeling scientific phenomena and complex systems can play a powerful role in science learning. Some researchers argue with this view indicating that models and modeling do not contribute to understanding complexity concepts, since these increases the cognitive load on students. This study investigates the effect of different modes of involvement in exploring scientific phenomena using a computer agent-based modeling tool, on students' understanding of complexity concepts. Quantitative and qualitative methods are used to report about 121 freshmen students that engaged in participatory simulations about complex phenomena, showing emergent, self organized and decentralized patterns. Results show that LbM plays a major role in students' concept formation about complexity concepts. Index Terms-Agent

Learning by Modeling (LbM): Understanding Complex Systems by Articulating Structures, Behaviors, and Functions

“…Student's responses were coded in terms of the various types of component beliefs reflected in their answers, for the pre-post test results showed an increase in students' understanding of complexity concepts in all the four groups (observation, exploration, manipulation, and development and design) (see Hashem and Mioduser, 2011). www.ijacsa.thesai.org As expected, students in the development and design group identified more concepts across the structure, function and behavior (SBF) framework than the other groups.…”

“…Observation and participation are not enough; people need a richer sense of involvement with systems in order to understand them [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]. Modeling can provide students with the power to understand and explore systems that were previously difficult to trace and predict their behavior, new techniques that help to learn important concepts on complex systems, to generate relevant questions, theories and hypothesis about phenomena, and to build and run models related to their theories [10], [11], [12], [13], [14].…”

Teaching Teachers to Think Like Engineers Using NetLogo

“…In the third theme, researchers show extensive examples of K12 teachers encouraging the use of CS in curriculum and instruction (Basu, Dickes, Kinnebrew, Sengupta, & Biswas, 2013;Blikstein, 2013;Borgman, Abelson, Dirks, Johnson, Koedinger, … & Smith, 2008;Chiu & Wu, 2009;Clark, Nelson, Sengupta, & D'Angelo, 2009;Dalke, Cassidy, Grobstein, & Blank, 2007;Donnelly, Linn, & Ludvigsen, 2014;Grover & Pea, 2013;Hashem & Mioduser, 2011;Jacobson & Wilensky, 2006;Klasnja-Milicevic, Vesin, Ivanovic, & Budimac, 2011;Levy & Wilensky, 2009;Maroulis, Guimera, Petry, Stringer, Gomez, Amaral, & Wilensky, 2010;Pea & Collins, 2008;Pathak, Kim, Jacobson, & Zhang, 2011;Sengupta, Dickes, Farris, Karan, Martin, & Wright, 2015;Sengupta, Kinnebrew, Basu, Biswas, & Clark, 2013;Sengupta & Wilensky, 2009;Shen, Lei, Chang, & Namdar, 2014;Wilensky, Brady, & Horn, 2014;Wilensky & Papert, 2010). The Task Force on Cyberlearning identified "directions for leveraging networked computing and communications technology.…”

Interactive Web Notebooks Using the Cloud to Enable CS in K-16+ Classrooms and PDs

“…Third, there are extensive references to K-12 teachers encouraging use of CS in curriculum and instruction (Basu, Dickes, Kinnebrew, Sengupta, & Biswas, 2013;Blikstein, 2013;Borgman, Abelson, Dirks, Johnson, Koedinger, Linn, … & Smith, 2008;Chiu & Wu, 2009;Clark, Nelson, Sengupta, & D'Angelo, 2009;Dalke, Cassidy, Grobstein, & Blank, 2007;Donnelly, Linn, & Ludvigsen, 2014;Grover & Pea, 2013;Hashem & Mioduser, 2011;Jacobson & Wilensky, 2006;Klašnja-Milićević, Vesin, Ivanovic, & Budimac, 2011;Levy & Wilensky, 2009;Maroulis, Guimera, Petry, Stringer, Gomez, Amaral, & Wilensky, 2010;Pea & Collins, 2008;Pathak, Kim, Jacobson, & Zhang, 2011;Sengupta, Dickes, Farris, Karan, Martin, & Wright, 2015;Sengupta, Kinnebrew, Basu, Biswas, & Clark, 2013;Sengupta & Wilensky, 2009;Shen, Lei, Chang, & Namdar, 2014;Wilensky, Brady, & Horn, 2014;Wilensky & Papert, 2010). The Task Force on Cyberlearning identified "directions for leveraging networked computing and communications technology.…”

“…Lastly, CS and/or computational thinking is needed across many education disciplines within higher education (Blikstein, 2011;Blikstein, 2013;Blikstein & Wilensky, 2010;Chiu & Wu, 2009;Hashem & Mioduser, 2011;Klašnja-Milićević, Vesin, Ivanovic, & Budimac, 2011;Levy & Wilensky, 2009;Maroulis, Guimera, Petry, Stringer, Gomez, Amaral, & Wilensky, Pathak, Kim, Jacobson, & Zhang, 2011;Sengupta 2010;Shen, Lei, Chag, & Namdar, 2014;Wilensky & Papert, 2010 The culmination of current literature continues to drive a need to investigate higher education instructor pedagogy and tools as areas in need of additional study.…”