Engaging students in collaborative layered modelling of a real-world problem

Engaging students in authentic, open-ended physics problems can develop collaborative inquiry and modelling skills essential for real-world problem solving. We designed a framework and materials for engaging students in collaborative sensemaking, in which students gradually develop layered models that enable an iteratively improved solution to an ill-structured problem in mechanics. The instructional approach and the specific activity can be easily adapted to the secondary or undergraduate levels. This paper discusses the design and implementation of the activity: the task, the scaffoldings that were designed to support students in productively employing a layered approach to modelling during the iterative development of the solution, and the dynamic in-the-moment guidance that was provided through the interaction between the instructors and the students. The activity was piloted during a 180 min workshop with 15 pre-service physics teachers and was documented via video, computer screen recordings, and copies of the artifacts the students generated. The data illustrate the learning processes facilitated by the activity. The students were highly engaged. The examination of their discourse and work revealed a layered approach to modelling, in which the complexity of the models and the accuracy of their predicted solution gradually increased until they reached a solution that satisfied them. Practical guidelines for educators who are interested in integrating authentic, collaborative problem-based learning in physics classrooms are presented.