Constructing a Typology of Models for Science Education

Representations and expressed models abound in science classrooms and vary widely on multiple dimensions. In order to encourage systematic research and principled curriculum development, we have developed a typology for categorising diverse kinds of representations and models. This chapter articulates an operational typology of models based on the attributes and modes of representations employed. It emerged from analysis of a range of models of the heart and the lunar eclipse. We conclude with a discussion of the utility of this typology for supporting research in model-based teaching and learning and its link to the study of the parts of models found in Chapter 6.