On Learning Electricity With Multi-Agent Based Computational Models (NIELS)
Pratim Sengupta, Uri J. Wilensky · 2010
Wilensky, 2005, 2006), a multi-agent based learning environment that represents phenomena such as Electric Current, Resistance, etc in the form of “emergent ” (Wilensky & Resnick, 1999) computational models. Based on a pilot implementation in a 7 th grade classroom, we argue that NIELS models enable learners to “think in levels ” (Wilensky & Resnick, 1999) which in turn enables them to bootstrap their existing object-based knowledge structures to engender a deep, expert-like understanding. Understanding electricity requires the ability to reason about the relevant phenomena at multiple levels