What Models Do For Science

"To model an object is to possess it." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 230).  I don't think I can say it any more plainly, as that.  "in almost all cases, the point of a model us to make accessible something that is difficult to experience easily." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 229).  In science, it is difficult to go a day without modeling something.  Whether it is two styrofoam balls and a flashlight to model the phases of the moon on earth, or a 3D model of a bacteria, modeling is something that every science teacher must do in over to convey some of their curriculum.  

To model successfully, one must use a bit of imagination to really grasp what the concept is trying to convey and therefore Root and Bernstein said it well; "Modeling requires and therefore teaches us many imaginative skills." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 230).  Because the model is not the real thing, you as the learner or educator must recognize where the model falls short of representing properly and fill in the gaps.

With respect to my topic (Energy transfer), many ideas came to mind as I thought about modeling different forms of energy transfer.  Then I thought about where students have difficulty understanding energy transfer and what came to mind was the Law of Conservation of Energy.  So often, students want to believe that an object "made" energy or "destroyed" energy.  They may fully understand that energy is transferred from object to object but don't fully grasp the idea of how.  The model I created really tears energy apart from its "form" and shows the idea that no matter what form energy takes, it is always conserved, it may just "look a little different".  Below is my model