Agent-based modeling described by Van Lehn would be
important to incorporate when having students model Zika. It should be highly
effective because creating such a model requires students to tell the computer “how
to think”, indicating that they acquired a deep understanding of the process.
However, it is necessary to properly scaffold the modeling activity so that
students do not rely on poor problem solving strategies when constructing the model.
For example, students may construct a large model before ever testing it, and
then wonder why it does not work. It is therefore important to provide students
with “meta-tutoring” - guidance and feedback that focus on process and not just
domain knowledge (pg. 391).
In addition, students need support
in learning the modeling language itself; using a completely unfamiliar language
to model a phenomenon may become frustrating (it would feel similar to being
asked to write a story in a foreign language). The modeling language is thus “non-trivial
for students to learn” (pg. 388), and scaffolds should be in place to support
students’ understanding of the modeling language.
Finally, when creating a model of
Zika, students should be supported in decomposing the system into separate parts
“so that one can focus on one subsystem while temporarily ignoring the rest of
the system” (pg. 393). This is often a skill that students need to practice in
modeling, as it is very tempting to create a complicated model without testing
the validity of the individual components.
I like how you discussed decomposing systems of representation into separate parts--I think it is tempting for students to try to be as inclusive as possible when they are making a model, and may head towards constructing a complicated system right off the bat. I think that creating individual components, analyzing their validity, and then building off of those components can help students build the most accurate model possible.
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