Data Dilemma

Model the scientific process

Modeling is an important and integral part of the practice of science. This foam puzzle set is a colorful, engaging tool to encourage scientific collaboration and facilitate discussions about how scientific models evolve. While using The Data Dilemma© your students will experience the problem scientists face when new data indicates the mental model of their research topic needs to be modified. As each new data set is introduced and your students form a series of new models — using foam tangram pieces — they will learn that the practice of science is an ongoing process, not a set of facts published in a textbook or online. How many possible models can your students find?