Adventures in Modeling

Abstract

Shiny Happy Turtles? Adventures in Modeling: Exploring Complex, Dynamic Systems with StarLogo is a cleverly written and illustrated, comprehensive “StarLogo for dummies” manual. Any secondary school science teacher with a desire to bring technology into the classroom will regard this text as a rich source of ideas. StarLogo software provides a multipurpose teaching medium through which a teacher can illustrate the process of science investigation, the predictive nature of models, and the difficult-to-grasp concept of complex systems. What sets StarLogo apart from other modeling software is that the behavior of individual agents is manipulated, which allows students to observe complex behaviors resulting from a series of simple behaviors. Users are given the opportunity to investigate the effect individuals have on the environment as well as environmental influence on the behavior of individuals (individuals are referred to as “turtles”). The typical secondary school science experience often fails to provide students with opportunities to learn about the very nature of science; we are graduating seniors who are not quite sure what the phrase, “science as a way of knowing” really means. Why has it been so difficult to infuse technology and inquiry-based learning into science classes? One of the many roadblocks is the paucity of quality, teacher-friendly, fieldtested lessons and reassurance that the lessons can simultaneously satisfy the standardsbased requirements of an already over-stuffed curriculum. Adventures in Modeling offers a long-awaited infusion. This manual emerges from the talents of Stevens Colella and Klopfer, who provide expertise in the role of innovative computational tools in the teaching and learning process, and the effectiveness of learning about complex phenomena through simulations. They jointly conduct secondary school StarLogo workshops at the Santa Fe Institute and MIT. Resnick is, of course, the visionary who developed the original StarLogo modeling software. The paperback describes the notion of decentralized systems, the StarLogo approach to modeling systems along with the importance of models in science and education, and ideas to connect Adventures projects with state and national standards. Sample projects (on an enclosed CD and on the MIT Media Laboratory website) model concepts such as diffusion, probability, natural selection, species interactions, and demographics, all of which satisfy state and national standards for science as well as social studies, statistics, and mathematics.