Modeling Instruction at ASTE
Congratulations to Michelle Tindall (Michigan Modeler and Oakland University Instructor) and Bill Thornburgh (Executive Officer of AMTA) for conducting a workshop at the Association of Science [...]
AMTA Connect Ed
January 30th, 2022
The AMTA ConnectED virtual meeting is an opportunity for current and future Modelers to connect and learn with each other. This ninety minute meeting will be broken into two sessions. In the first session, participants can choose from presentations on Grading and Assessment or Questioning Strategies. Session two will consist of a discipline-specific facilitated discussion.
Session 1: Listen and Learn
Grading and Assessment
“Have you ever felt personally victimized by your students’ pursuit of points, grades, and extra credit, all at the expense of learning? We’ve all been there, but it doesn’t have to be that way! In the Modeling classroom, we are focused on development and deployment of models—the iterative learning process—so why not have grading and assessment practices that reflect that same philosophy? In this webinar you will take part in an honest conversation about the difficulties of traditional grading and assessment practices, as well as learn some of the ways to fix broken grades.” – Gary Abud, Jr.
Questioning Strategies
The quality of student discourse in a science classroom is strongly associated with the quality of their learning. So, how do we build a culture in our classrooms that empowers students to engage in authentic dialog about science ideas? We will discuss strategies for drawing out deeper thinking and discussion from students in our modeling classrooms. – Brenda Royce
Session Two: Participate and Share
Participants will share ideas, questions, and resources in a subject-specific facilitated discussion.
Middle School
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Our Mission
The American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) is a professional organization of teachers, by teachers, and for teachers who use Modeling Instruction(TM) in their Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teaching. Our mission is to provide professional development for teachers in the Modeling Method of Instruction, to provide resources that support the use of Modeling Instruction(TM) in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and middle school science classrooms, and to support and enable collaboration among Modelers. AMTA strives to foster brilliant teaching and deep learning.
In the early 1990s, after a decade of education research to develop and validate Modeling Instruction(TM), physicist David Hestenes was awarded grants from the National Science Foundation for another decade to spread the Modeling Instruction(TM) program nationwide. As of 2019, approximately 14,000 teachers have participated in summer workshops or other professional development involving Modeling Instruction, including nearly 10% of the United States’ high school physics teachers. It is estimated that Modeling teachers reach more than 100,000 students each year.
AMTA was created by teachers to continue and expand the mission after government funding for Modeling Instruction(TM) ended. The AMTA has expanded to a nationwide community of teachers dedicated to addressing the nation’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education crisis.
For more details, please download our Strategic Plan (2019-2022).
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