Het ontwikkelen van een model-begrip bij leerlingen van 15-16 jaar

Tijdschrift voor Didactiek van de Beta-wetenschappen, uitgegeven door het Freudenthal Instituut, Universiteit Utrecht in de periode 1983-2014

Genseberger, R. J. Tijdschrift voor Didactiek van de Beta-wetenschappen 1989 – 7(3), 192-208 Download pdf

A previous article in TD-ß described some characteristics of a science course developed at the Open Schoolgemeenschap Bijlmer in Amsterdam. This article elaborates on one of the main features of the course, i.e. the development of a concept of models by students. Two essential lines are to be distinguished in the course: "from large to small and viceversa" and a historical line. The article describes how students, departing from their own notions, design and use their own models and how these models are being further developed and tested in classroom discussions. Historical models, not always recognized as such, often prove to be useful as vehicles for thought. Pupils not only prove to have become very flexible in the way they think in and about concepts but also appear to be more attracted to science than before the course. This is particularly true for girls. Finally we outline some problems we have encountered over the years.