Professional Development
AMTA Offers workshops in: Physics 1 – Mechanics Physics – Light Physics – Mechanical Waves Physics – Electricity & Magnetism Physics – CASTLE ( Circuits) Physics [...]
What is AMTA?
Of Teachers, By Teachers, For Teachers
AMTA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by teachers with the mission of providing professional development designed to help teachers implement Modeling InstructionTM in their classrooms. Teachers learn to help students plan and conduct data collection, analyze data, and share their findings in order to develop conceptual models that help them make sense of phenomena they observe.
Emphasis is placed on promoting classroom discussion in which the students arrive at a set of representations (a diagram, a graph and an equation) for the model they have created, then deploy the model in a series of related tasks.
This classroom dynamic is very different from the typical school culture, and requires teachers to develop skills in redirecting student questions to the group rather than simply giving the answers. To become proficient in the implementation of this pedagogy requires time and practice.
AMTA offers a number of experiences including face-to-face workshops, distance-learning courses and customized training which are aligned with NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. AMTA is a community of teachers dedicated to providing a wealth of instructional resources (curricular materials, webinars, short conferences and the ability to interact on various social media platforms) that will support teachers long after the training has been completed.
What is Modeling Instruction?
Modeling InstructionTM is a guided-inquiry approach to teaching science that organizes instruction around the handful of conceptual models that form the content core of the scientific disciplines. This method provides a framework for science instruction that approximates how scientists “do science.” Students build, test, and deploy conceptual models of physical relationships. Research has shown that students in Modeling Instruction classrooms perform significantly better on measures of conceptual knowledge than similar students in traditional science classrooms. Follow this link for more information.
What’s Happening?
The Helios Education Foundation recognized Modeling InstructionTM at the Impact Corps 2025 Award Ceremony on July 10, 2025. Helios exists to support postsecondary attainment for all students in Arizona and Florida, with an emphasis on low-income and historically underrepresented communities. This is part of their statement of recognition. “…Modeling Instruction has provided exceptional professional development for Arizona teachers, which has contributed to positive post-secondary outcomes for students in Arizona’s public education system.”
Pictured in the image from left to right are: Jae Chang, Prof. Bob Culbertson (MNS Program Director), Andrew Chapman, Larry Dukerich, Agatha Anderson, Jane Jackson (Co-Director ASU Modeling Instruction Program), Dawn Foley (consultant for ASU’s Decision Center for Educational Excellence), Rich McNamara, Mitch Sweet, Melissa Girmscheid and Justin Sheets. All but Bob Culbertson, Jane Jackson, and Dawn Foley are Modeling Instruction workshop leaders.
Want to Improve Your Modeling Instruction?
Fall 2025 Distance Learning Workshops
Ever wonder what’s going on in your students’ minds?
Want to raise the level of discourse in your classroom?
Curious how whiteboarding can reveal and revise student thinking?
Need support to implement Modeling Instruction?
Modeling Instruction weaves all of these elements together
Join one of our fall 2025 Distance Learning Courses and experience it for yourself.
Membership in the AMTA Modeling Teacher community includes: Professional Development Offerings, Community Events, Classroom-ready Teacher Resources as well as Research on Modeling Instruction.
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