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What is AMTA?
The American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by teachers for teachers. Our mission is to train teachers to use Modeling Instruction™ in their classrooms. In our workshops, teachers learn to guide students as they collect and analyze data, share what they find, and build their own explanations for what they see happening around them.
Modeling Instruction™ classrooms run on discussion. Students talk through their ideas together and settle on three ways to show what they’ve learned: a diagram, a graph, and an equation. Then they put their ideas to work on a series of related problems.
This looks very different from a typical classroom. Instead of handing out answers, teachers turn students’ questions back to the group so they can work it out together. It takes time and practice to do this well, which is why training matters.
AMTA offers in-person workshops, online courses, and custom training for schools and districts, all built around the science and engineering practices in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). We are also a community of teachers who share curriculum materials, webinars, short conferences, and online groups, so teachers have support long after their training ends.
What is Modeling Instruction™?
Modeling Instruction™ is a hands-on way of teaching science. Instead of memorizing facts from a textbook, students investigate real situations, such as how a ball moves or how electricity flows through a circuit, and build their own explanations from what they observe. They test their ideas, discuss and debate them with classmates, and then use them to solve new problems, much like working scientists do.
The approach focuses on a small set of big ideas, called models, that explain many different things in science. Students learn how concepts connect instead of memorizing separate topics. Research shows that students taught this way understand science concepts significantly better than students in traditional classrooms.
AMTA trains teachers across the world to bring this approach to their classrooms.
What’s Happening?
Now Open: Submissions for The Modeling Teacher eJournal!
The Modeling Teacher, AMTA’s peer-reviewed eJournal, is now accepting submissions for its inaugural issue, launching in January 2027. Written by Modelers, for Modelers, the journal shares research, strategies, and classroom experiences from educators using Modeling Instruction™.
We welcome submissions from teachers at every stage of their Modeling journey, including:
- Classroom action research
- Instructional strategies and innovative activities
- Do-it-yourself apparatus designs
- Book reviews
- Classroom stories and reflections
First-time users will need to create a free account before submitting. Interested in serving as a reviewer or editor? Contact Dr. Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz.
Not a member yet? Click here to join or renew. Learn more about membership benefits here
Physics: E&M Curriculum Materials Updated
We’re excited to share that AMTA’s Modeling Instruction E&M materials have been carefully reviewed and refreshed! Kelli Warble and Larry Dukerich have spent the past several weeks combing through Units 1–4, cleaning up graphics, correcting equations, and polishing the Teacher Notes throughout. Updated PDF versions are now available in the shared curriculum drive. More updates to follow shortly.
Thank you to Larry and Kelli for their dedication to keeping these materials sharp and classroom-ready for physics teachers everywhere!
Have You Checked Out the Latest Chemistry Materials?
The materials in Units 1 – 8 have shifted the emphasis in calculations from factor-label methods to proportional quantitative reasoning, while maintaining the core storyline of previous versions. The document “The Story of Quantitative Reasoning” explains the distinction between quantities (such as mass and volume) and relationships (such as density and molar mass), and makes the case for why explicitly teaching this distinction matters. Brenda Royce and Larry Dukerich have also created a short video walking through this approach in greater detail. Units 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 have all been updated to reflect this emphasis on sense-making over answer-getting.
The update of Units 1 – 8, which began in 2023, was completed in May 2026. This revision process was a careful, deliberate effort to ensure the materials reflect the best of current Modeling Instruction practice.
Physics Mechanics Refresh — Now Available in the Member Portal
The updated physics-mechanics materials are complete and ready to access in the AMTA member portal. Unit 2 (Constant Velocity Model) features revised teacher notes, new activities, links to presentations on the use of Graphical Analysis, and suggestions for sourcing or building inexpensive motion-study apparatus. Units 3 (Uniform Acceleration) and 4 (Balanced Forces) have also been updated.
Note: Vernier has recently released an updated version of Graphical Analysis. Visit the link for a slide deck covering the new features.
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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