{"id":1800,"date":"2014-09-13T09:02:36","date_gmt":"2014-09-13T13:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/?p=1800"},"modified":"2022-04-15T15:32:44","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T19:32:44","slug":"science-math-simulations-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/science-math-simulations-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Science and Math simulations for your class"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Science<\/a>One of the big challenges in the math and science classroom is to make abstract concepts real for your students. Whether we’re talking about how changes in the intercept\u00a0of a line will affect its placement on a graph or how batteries push electricity through a circuit, a lot of imagination is required to make the concept real for the learner. In today’s post, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite online resources<\/a> that not only provides visualizations of science and math concepts, but also allows students to manipulate variables to see how they relate to outcomes.<\/p>\n

\"Here's<\/a>
Here’s a few of the middle school sims<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Abstract concepts can be very difficult for students to deeply understand. Even though they may be able to describe the forces acting on an object in words, even though they may be able to draw a line based on an equation, that does not necessarily indicate deep understanding, transferability, and generalizability. Going back to some of the learning theory stuff from a couple of weeks ago<\/a>, we need to find ways for students to construct their own understanding\u00a0by interacting their ideas with experiences. When we are dealing with concepts that can be difficult to demonstrate in the physical world, we can turn to simulations to provide that “real-world” interaction that helps students make meaning of content and internalize and personalize concepts.<\/p>\n

Whew! That’s a lot of words that boil down to: students benefit from being able to play with stuff.\u00a0And not all stuff can, well, be played with. We can see the effect of electricity, but not the energy inside the battery. We can see pictures of glaciers, but not their motion. We can see water boil, but not the increased motion of the molecules due to the added energy. Good simulations occupy this middle space, between what we can observe on the macro-scale and the abstract concepts that we talk about.<\/p>\n

The PhET interactive simulations<\/a>\u00a0have been constructed by many fine folks at the University of Colorado at Boulder<\/a> (Go Buffs!<\/a>). Go ahead and check out that link – click on “Play with sims…” to see all of them<\/a>. Take a few minutes to poke around. There’s… a lot there. As you explore, here’s a few things I’d like to direct your attention to:<\/p>\n

\"Below<\/a>
Below the sim there are resources<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n