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Science Modeling Talks: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Mark Royce
Science Modeling Talks is a podcast series that introduces you to top science modeling teachers and thought leaders in a relaxed and conversational interview format. In our episodes, you'll hear stories and ideas that help the science education community learn and grow as effective classroom teachers.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 4 days ago29 min
Episode 86 - Urška Manners - International Modeler
Urška and Mark talk about her experiences teaching using modeling instruction at International Baccalaureate schools, including the tension teachers feel when students have a specific exam to pass at the end of the year but the teacher wants to really dig into material and help students to think deeply. They talk about how modeling instruction teaches students to think like scientists, not just give the right answer on a test. She encourages teachers to try new things and don't be afraid to fail. Guest Urška Manners Urška Manners is half-Slovenian and half-American and grew up attending an international school in Vienna. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in geophysics and then earned her Ph.D. in seismology from UC San Diego. In between college and graduate school, she spent two years in Guinea with the Peace Corps, where she worked as a math teacher at a local high school. That experience made her realize that she was ultimately a teacher at heart, and after graduate school, instead of pursuing a career in academia, I decided to become an international school teacher, primarily teaching high school physics. Over the past 19 years, her teaching career has taken her to seven different countries: Mali, Slovenia, Uzbekistan, Romania, Hungary, Brazil, and, currently, Switzerland. She took her first Modeling workshop in 2019 and has never looked back. LinkedIn Highlights [18:43] Urška: "I think when students learn science by doing science, it becomes something real for them." [20:29] Urška: "I think especially right now when scientific literacy is so, so important, because there's so much misinformation out there, we need students who can think." [22:35] Urška: "I think it's good for them to see that I'm constantly trying to change what I do and that sometimes I fail because I think being able to fail is a really important skill and it's really good for students to see that as well." Resources Download Transcript Ep 86 Transcript
- Oct 1, 202635 min
Episode 85 - Christy Jo Geraci - College, High School and Middle School Modeler
In this month's podcast, Mark talks with CJ, who has taught a wide variety of sciences using modeling methods with students from third grade through high school. They talk about the differences between a middle school and a high school modeling classroom and about the similarities. They talk about making connections and how valuable the support from the modeling community has been when trying to get a lab set up correctly, or trying to figure out any number of issues. Guest Christy Jo Geraci CJ came across modeling instruction while taking graduate courses in education as part of a career pivot to teaching K-12 science after spending the first part of her career in academia, including some research work in a variety of countries around the world. She has taught biology, physics, chemistry, and has used modeling methods with high school, middle school, and even third grade classes. Email | LinkedIn Highlights [18:28] CJ: "because we start with the lab in modeling instruction versus doing the lab at the end to confirm what we learned in the textbook, if a student misses a lab or if something in the lab doesn't go right, then they can feel left out throughout the rest of the process. So having a video of the lab or having an interactive lab or a virtual lab for them to go to if they were absent or if their group's data didn't work, that's really helpful." Resources Download Transcript Ep 85 Transcript
- Sep 1, 202638 min
Episode 84 – Levi Torrison – Seasoned Workshop Leader – Why Modeling is so Important
In this episode, Mark talks with Levi Torrison about his background in modeling instruction, the years he has spent facilitating modeling workshops, and the work he has been a part of building out the second semester of modeling chemistry materials. Levi talks about the methods of modeling instruction as a way to get students thinking like scientists, asking questions for themselves, and learning how to discover the answers through investigation. Guest Levi Torrison Levi graduated with his phd in chemistry from ASU in 2003. He has been teaching at Estrella Mountain Community College for 20 years. He took his first modeling workshop with Russ Shaffer in the summer of 2008 and began leading workshops the following summer of 2009. I have taught chemistry I and II workshops as well as the thermodynamics course. This summer I finished my 22 workshop in Utah. Highlights [28:58] Levi: "most science teachers will tell you that they would rather teach critical thinking than content." [29:11] Levi: "most teachers will tell you, "Man, I really wish these students would learn how to think." And this is the way to do that, is having them sit down with data, having them perform the experiment and collect the data and do the graphing and do all the thinking." [31:02] Levi: "teaching this way with a modeling curriculum, you have instantaneous assessment. When you have students that build a whiteboard together as a group and ask each other questions and sit there and go through, you can immediately tell what they actually understand for real." Resources Download Transcript Ep 84 Transcript
- Aug 1, 202638 min
Episode 83 – Aaron Mueller – Middle School, NGSS, and Teaching Experiences
In this episode, Mark talks with Aaron Mueller about his experiences with modeling instruction. They talk about getting students to think like scientists, questioning one another, and using both inductive and deductive reasoning. They talk about the connection between NGSS and modeling instruction and about some of Aaron's tips for new teachers and book recommendations. Guest Aaron Mueller Aaron Mueller is a 7th grade Science Teacher in Naperville, Illinois. He has been teaching for 26 years and began Modeling in 2012-13. Through his career, he has taught middle and high school science. Aaron has experience with modeling workshops in Biology, Mechanics, and Middle School. Highlights [5:19] Aaron: "So students that are, ELL to having a 504 IEP, gifted even, their sets of languages are so different. However, modeling can bring them together really easily through observation, inferencing, gathering evidence, explaining the evidence, drawing." [17:10] Aaron: "I feel like a way to describe NGSS is like that framework or backbone and modeling to me is that key to turn it on and let it go." Resources Download Transcript Ep 83 Transcript Links [Book] Science Blind by Andrew Shtulman [Book] Science in the City by Bryan A. Brown [Book] Ambitious Science Teaching by Jessica Jane Thompson, Mark Windschitl, and Melissa Braaten [Book] Questions, Claims, and Evidence: The Important Place of Argument in Children's Science Writing [Video] Dr. Brian Hand - Science Writing Heuristic
- Jul 1, 202638 min
Episode 82 - Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz - Founding Member of AMTA
In this episode, Mark talks with Colleen Megowan about the history and initial founding of the AMTA and how she became the first executive officer for the organization. She talks about what she does as Senior Fellow, and her dreams for the future of AMTA, including research on including AI in modeling instruction, developing modeling methodology for math instruction and for elementary education, and an online journal for research modelers have done in their classrooms. Guest Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz has taught high school and university physics, mathematics, and integrated physics and mathematics in California and Arizona for over 30 years. She learned the Modeling Method of Instruction for physics teaching in 1998 and found it to be so uncannily effective that she wanted to figure out how and why it worked. This ultimately led to a PhD in Physics Education Research at Arizona State University (ASU) focused on Modeling classroom discourse in 2007 under the direction of noted physicist David Hestenes, the theorist who originated Modeling Instruction and enjoyed 16 years of NSF support for its development and dissemination. In 2005 she helped found the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA), and later became its first Executive Officer. She continues her work in support of AMTA and modeling instruction research as Senior Fellow at AMTA. Email Colleen Highlights [22:17] Colleen: "And so, given that [AI is] there and it's in the hands of our students, how are we going to use it well and use it responsibly and teach them to use it well and responsibly." [26:18] Colleen: "There are plenty of modelers who do classroom research. They should have an outlet to publish that." Resources Download Transcript Ep 82 Transcript
- Jun 1, 202633 min
Episode 81 - ReCast - Phil Root - "Modeling at the College Level and Advanced Workshops"
This week, Mark talks with Phil Root about the differences he sees between teaching using modeling methodology at the high school level and the college level. They talk about Phil's experience helping to adapt modeling materials for physical science to the Next Generation Science Standards, and how much he enjoyed building a storyline for those units. They talk about the advanced modeling workshops, including the new materials Phil helped to develop for them, and the various topics covered. They finish with Phil's advice for folks just starting out on a modeling instruction journey. Guests Phil Root Phil Root taught high school chemistry and physics at Chandler High School from 2004-2013, and has been teaching chemistry at Scottsdale Community College since 2013. Phil teaches using modeling methods at the college level, and also leads modeling workshops. He helped to develop the physical science curriculum for Next Generation Science Standards and worked with Levi Torrison to develop a thermodynamics modeling workshop and extend the Chem 2 workshop to a full three week course. Website Highlights [11:05] Phil Root: "AMTA was actively engaging students before it was cool." [17:08] Phil Root, on advanced modeling workshops: "you will have activities, labs, facilitation experience that you can take with you directly back to your classroom the next year and put it to place right away to build your storyline in your classroom and make it stronger." [19:13] Phil Root: "My goal now isn't to get my students to solve a problem a certain way or to get an answer. It's to probe their thinking about the relationships that they're using or how are they making sense of the mathematical relationships they're using or the conceptual frameworks that they're building." Resources Download Transcript Ep 81 Transcript
- May 1, 202634 min
Episode 80 - Rama Janamanchi - "Modeling From An Administrators Perspective"
Mark and Rama talk about Lawrence School, where Rama is the academic dean for grades 7 through 12. The school serves students with language-based learning differences and attention-deficit issues. They've been implementing modeling instruction in their science courses with success. As a result, they are hosting two modeling workshops on their campus this summer. Guest Rama Janamanchi Rama Janamanchi is the Upper School Academic Dean at Lawrence School, Sagamore Hills, OH. She has been in the role for the past 3 years, working with a phenomenal leadership team to create learning spaces for teachers and students. She has also been an English, journalism, and mythology teacher. She continually seeks professional growth, participating in an NEH Seminar at the Folger Shakespeare Library and the New York Times Teaching Project. She is also a teacher-consultant with NWP. She has presented at the IDA (International Dyslexia Association) and NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) conferences on creating equitable spaces for all students to succeed. LinkedIn Highlights [4:30] Rama Janamanchi "we are also aware that technology provides us equity" [18:00] Rama Janamanchi "I love that. I love this idea. Permission to fail. It will get better. You just have to persevere." [24:24] Rama Janamanchi "And there's nothing that beats the jaded months of February, January in the cold of Ohio, <laugh> then watching a little bit of curiosity and discovery in your classroom." Resources Download Transcript Ep 80 Transcript Links https://www.lawrenceschool.org/
- Apr 1, 202633 min
Episode 79 - Janelle Hollingshead - Proportional Reasoning, Modeling Tips and the AMTA "Coffee Hour"
Mark talks with Janelle Hollingshead about her introduction to modeling instruction, including learning about "for every" statements, which help students to understand the concepts they discuss, as opposed to just getting the correct answer to a question. They talk about using proportional reasoning with students rather than giving them steps to solve problems as a means of developing their thinking. They talk about how teachers might incorporate modeling methods into their classes even when they do not have control over their curriculum. Janelle talks about how she listens to the words students use to describe phenomena to really get an idea of what they're thinking. Guest Janelle Hollingshead Janelle Hollingshead majored in chemistry and music, and lives in Wisconsin, where she teaches chemistry and physics. She leads a monthly coffee talk with AMTA for teachers to talk about modeling in their classrooms and schools. She is working with Larry Dukerich and Brenda Royce to update chemistry teacher materials with solutions using proportional reasoning, along with traditional solutions. Highlights [21:59] Janelle Hollingshead "I think it's important to be a part of a community where you can bounce things off." [24:46] Janelle Hollingshead "talk to the kids about the fact that your job as a science teacher is not just to impart information, but it's also to create scientists." Resources Download Transcript Ep 79 Transcript
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About Science Modeling Talks
Science Modeling Talks is a podcast series that introduces you to top science modeling teachers and thought leaders in a relaxed and conversational interview format. In our episodes, you'll hear stories and ideas that help the science education community learn and grow as effective classroom teachers.
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