18 | Key Stage 3 National Strategy|Pedagogy and practice
Unit 6: Modelling
© Crown copyright 2004
DfES 0429-200418 | Key Stage 3 National Strategy|Pedagogy and practice
Unit 6: Modelling
Summary of research
In terms of research, modelling spans a number of different topics because it
encompasses a variety of quite different approaches, from physical demonstration
to unpacking complex mental procedures. What unifies this diversity is the fact that
the pupils are offered an approach that supports their understanding.
Wider research
One of the reasons why modelling is important is that it can contribute to pupils
developing a ‘mental model’ of a topic. Mental models are regarded as a
cornerstone of understanding. Most psychologists view understanding as much
more than bundles of unconnected facts. As Johnson-Laird (1985) described it:
The psychological core of understanding ... consists of having a ‘working
model’ of the phenomenon in your mind. If you understand inflation, a
mathematical proof, the way a computer works, DNA or a divorce, then
you have a mental representation that serves as a model of an entity.Extract from ‘Mental models’ by P. N. Johnson-Laird, in Aitkenhead and Slack (eds) (1985)
Issues in cognitive modelling. Psychology Press. © Taylor & Francis Group plc. Used with
permission of the publisher.
A mental model has components and relationships between those components.
Thus you can have a mental model of a concept, a task or phenomenon. The vital
characteristic of a mental model is that it allows you to predict and respond to
unknown situations – it confers flexibility and the ability to transfer. This is illustrated
by a number of experiments undertaken in Japan (Hatano and Inagaki 1992). For
example, young children who had experience of looking after goldfish were found
to have better understanding of how to look after other small animals. It is likely
that they understood features such as feeding and cleaning, the health of the
goldfish and the relationship between them. So when faced by an unknown
situation of looking after another animal they were able to use the ‘model’ and
transfer their knowledge from looking after goldfish. Thus they knew the importance
of feeding the right amount of food, at regular intervals, and keeping the animal’s
living environment clean.
Stevens and Rosenshine (1981) synthesised 20 studies related to disadvantaged
students and found that effective instruction was characterised by teacher
demonstration of particular skills, student practice of the component parts with the
teacher providing prompts and corrections, leading to independent practice. This is
a very close parallel to guided work in the national strategies. Further work by
Rosenshine (1983) indicates that, particularly with younger or low-achieving
students, certain features will be important in modelling and demonstrating, such
as teaching being well structured into small and sequential steps. Practice is again
emphasised so that the skill or response becomes automatic.
Writing
There is some work in geography, done by a partnership between practising
teachers and a university researcher, that shows the potential for teachers
modelling processes for pupils. The university researcher analysed pupils’ writing in
the genres of describing and explaining, and developed a model to show the levels
of performance. Through teacher modelling and peer and self-assessment, pupils’
writing improved compared to comparison groups.