Model-Building and the Use of Computer Simulation of Dynamic Systems

The Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation (STACI) Project is a multi-year research effort intended to examine the cognitive impact of learning from a systems thinking approach to instruction and from using simulation-modeling software. Systems thinking is an analytic problem solving tool that can be integrated into courses to supplement and enhance instruction in a variety of content areas. The purpose of the study is to test the potentials and effects of using the technology-based approach in secondary school curricula to teach content-specific knowledge as well as general problem solving skills. The research focuses on the effects of introducing a software environment that enables students to learn from and make concrete multiple representations of scientific, mathematical, and historical phenomena.