Investigating Complex Phenomena: Bridging between Systems Thinking and Modeling in Science Education

Download or read book Investigating Complex Phenomena: Bridging between Systems Thinking and Modeling in Science Education written by Tom Bielik and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-11-15 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the complexity of the natural world and making sense of phenomena is one of the main goals of science and science education. When investigating complex phenomena, such as climate change or pandemic outbreaks, students are expected to engage in systems thinking by considering the boundaries of the investigated system, identifying the relevant components and their interactions, and exploring system attributes such as hierarchical organization, dynamicity, feedback loops, and emergence. Scientific models are tools that support students’ reasoning and understanding of complex systems, and students are expected to develop their modeling competence and to engage in the modeling process by constructing, testing, revising, and using models to explain and predict phenomena. Computational modeling tools, for example, provide students with the opportunity to explore big data, run simulations and investigate complex systems. Therefore, both systems thinking and modeling approaches are important for science education when investigating complex phenomena.