Why join AMTA? – American Modeling Teachers Association

Excellent Teachers, a Community of Educators, & Adapting STEM Curriculum

Since its inception with the creation and dissemination of the well known Force Concept Inventory from Arizona State University (authored by the first ‘Modelers’ David Hestenes, Malcolm Wells, and Gregg Swackhammer), Modeling Instruction has grown dramatically. Our community of educators is continually producing high-quality solutions to the STEM education crisis, including…

highly trained and effective STEM teachers working in classrooms throughout the world after participating in one of our professional development opportunities
a grassroots association of ‘Modelers’ consisting of practicing STEM teachers constantly collaborating to improve our classrooms and inspire our students
a community-inspired repository of STEM curriculum, based upon education research, which is always evolving as our members refine and share lessons

By Colleen Megowan

In News

Posted April 28, 2022

Teachers Invited to Apply for 2nd Annual STEM Scholarship Program

Deadline to apply is May 1, 2023 Teachers are invited to apply to the Lt. Governor’s STEM scholarship program. PROGRAM INFORMATION: NLGA annually awards a scholarship to 12 different schools for [...]

By webmistress

In Evolution of Modeling, Modeling

Posted November 13, 2016

Stage 1 1980–1992

The theoretical and practical foundations for Modeling Instruction were thoroughly developed, tested and published during this period of physics education research. In these early years, there [...]

By webmistress

In Evolution of Modeling, Modeling

Posted November 13, 2016

Stage 2 1993–1999

NSF funding enabled extension of the Modeling Workshops nationwide. More than 200 teachers from almost every state in the nation attended intensive four-week Workshops on two successive summers [...]

By webmistress

In Evolution of Modeling, Modeling

Posted November 13, 2016

Stage 3 1998-2001

Teacher demand for high-quality professional development stimulated expansion of the Modeling Program into a full-blown graduate program at Arizona State University expressly designed to meet the [...]

By webmistress

In Evolution of Modeling

Posted November 13, 2016

Stage 4 2002-2005

With NSF funding the Arizona State University MNS program originally designed for physics teachers expanded to include in-service teachers of chemistry and physical science. This stimulated the [...]

By webmistress

In Evolution of Modeling, Modeling

Posted November 13, 2016

Stage 5 2005 to present

Concerned about the end of NSF funding for Modeling Instruction, a core group of STEM teachers formed the American Modeling Teachers Association in 2005. AMTA was created to support teachers [...]

Excellent Teachers, a Community of Educators, & Adapting STEM Curriculum

The Evolution of Modeling

Modeling is well-prepared to help improve the competence of STEM teachers at a national scale.

Read the following account to see how.