The Role of Models in Secondary Science Instruction

Abstract

This article reviews common curricular alternatives for addressing the needs of secondary students with learning disabilities in science. For the most part, special education strategies for modifying science materials reflect generic techniques. Support for these methods is based on the argument that they place relatively few demands on teachers. Moreover, these methods readily apply to the commercial texts used in general and special education classrooms, however, the increasing complexity of secondary materials, as well as the call for a richer understanding of science. Make techniques like direct instruction, mnemonics, and graphic organizers less tenable. A curriculum revision method that emphasizes models and context-rich problem solving is proposed as a contemporary alternative.