Abstract
Biological phenomena can be investigated at multiple levels, from the molecular to the cellular to the
organismic to the ecological. In typical biology instruction, these levels have been segregated. Yet, it
is by examining the connections between such levels that many phenomena in biology, and complex
systems in general, are best explained. We describe a computation-based approach that enables
students to investigate the connections between different biological levels. Using agent-based,
embodied modeling tools, students model the micro-rules underlying a biological phenomenon, and
observe the resultant aggregate dynamics. We describe two cases in which this approach was
employed. In both cases, students frame hypotheses, construct multi-agent models that incorporate
these hypotheses, and test these by running their models and observing the outcomes. Contrasting
these cases against traditionally employed, classical equations-based approaches, we argue that the
embodied modeling approach connects more directly to students’ experience, enables extended
investigations as well as deeper understanding, and enables “advanced” topics to be productively
introduced into the high school curriculum.
Users
Please
log in to take part in the discussion (add own reviews or comments).