Learning Within Artificial Worlds

With the advent of the National Curriculum, computer based modelling CBM is now a compulsory part of the school curriculum. Teachers are increasingly being encouraged to seek out opportunities for CBM in their own subject and across the curriculum. The new demands on the curriculum have left eachers and teacher trainers concerned as to their lack of experience in the area. This book sets out to provide a comprehensive guide to the area through an examination of a number of funded projects on CBM and their application to the school curriculum, setting them in the context of wider theoretical and practical concerns. It is acknowledged that computers bring about change in the classroom, both in teachers' professional development and innovative practices in teaching and learning. In highlighting how CBM can aid in the effective delivery of the curriculum, this book should be essential reading for teachers and researchers in the field.

Harvey Mellar is Senior Lecturer in Educational Computing at the Institute of Education. Joan Bliss is Reader in Education at King's College London. She studied and worked with Jean Piaget for ten years and whilst in Geneva worked for the Nuffield Mathematics Project, writing diagnostic tasks based on Piaget's work. Richard Boohan taught science and chemistry in London comprehensive schools before taking up a research post at the University of London Institute of Education. Jon Ogborn is Professor of Science Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. Chris Tompsett is Deputy Director for the postgraduate programme of the School of Information Systems at Kingston University.

Part 1 The nature of modelling: computational issues in modelling, Jon Ogborn and Rob Miller; representations and representation systems, Haralambos Sakondis. Part 2 Mathematics and reality: reasoning with a quantitative modelling tool, Richard Boohan and Tim Brosnan; integrating situated-based and algebraic approaches - the role of spreadsheets, Rosamund Sutherland; models and metaphors in reasoning about probability, Peter Wilder. Part 3 Commonsense reasoning about quantities: reasoning with a semi-quantitative tool, Joan Bliss. Part 4 Thinking with objects, links and logic: an introduction to qualitative modelling tool, Joan Bliss and Haralambos Sakondis; creating worlds with objects and events, Richard Boohan.