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Tips for Facilitators

Suggestions on best practices for teaching Project GUTS lessons, by acting as a facilitator to student learning, rather than a lecturer on your known content.

Información sobre Sistemas Complejos Adaptativos

Tres documentos con información general acerca de Sistemas Complejos Adaptativos. Traducidos por @rizzicristian a partir de los originales en Inglés.

Lightbot and StarLogo NOVA

This on-line activity asks students to complete the first 8 exercises of the popular "Lightbot" program within the Hour of Code activities. Then, students try to recreate a similar program in StarLogo Nova, where an unfamiliar user could use keyboard controls, widgets, or procedures to get the robot to follow a pattern. It practices several computing skills (procedures, loops) and conveys the idea that games students see and play on-line have been created and coded by someone.

Swords and Shields

Swords and Shields is an interactive simulation game which teaches students some of the basic ideas of complex adaptive systems. After playing, you can show the students a model of the game in StarLogo TNG or StarLogo Nova to discuss basic concepts of agent-based modeling. Try it, it's fun! See also the variation to this activity in Resources, and see the related activity of TryAngles.

Rock Paper Scissors

The classic game of Rock Paper Scissors is known to all students. This common experience can then be used to encourage students to think about Complex Adaptive Systems in terms of unpredictability, which comes from the simple rules of agents. The off-line activity gives students a set of rules that will then be programmed into their computer model using Boolean logic and collisions.

Introduction to Computational Science

This video was produced by Project GUTS and Code.org to introduce computational science.

Computational Thinking

This video introduces computational thinking. It was produced by Project GUTS with Code.org.

Dispositions and Classroom Culture

In this video, GUTS teachers talk about instilling dispositions and classroom culture that supports scientific inquiry and the development of computational thinking.

Computational Thinking Resources

The attached documents can provide background information for teachers on Computational Thinking.

Daisy world

A model demonstrating the albedo effect of black or white surfaces. Use as a part of the Climate Change and Agriculture Project GUTS Curricular Unit, or as a stand-alone model, activity, and video.

Exploring the Wiggle Walk and Collisions via a Kinesthetic Activity

This activity teaches the Wiggle Walk blocks (random right by ___ degrees, random left by___ degrees), through a kinesthetic activity and explores when a programmer would want to code agents to move this way. It avoids the statical analysis of the random probabilities found in Module One, Lesson 4 Activity 1: Probability with Dice and Data and Colliding Turtles, while still addressing the end goals of the Module One Lesson 4.

Scavenger Hunt for Teachers

This scavenger hunt asks teachers to locate various Project GUTS resources. A fun tool to increase familiarity with Project GUTS and what's available.

BCSC 5e Instructional Model

BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) paper explaining the 5e instructional model. The model describes a teaching sequence that can be used for entire programs, specific units, and individual lessons. The BSCS 5E Instructional Model plays a significant role in the curriculum development process as well as the enactment of curricular materials in science classrooms.

Feedback loops

This document provides background information on feedback loops in complex adaptive systems.

Why Model?

A paper describing the author's reasons why modeling is essential to science.

Guía de referencia de bloques de StarLogo NOVA

Se trata de una guía que describe los bloques de comandos más comunes utilizados en StarLogo NOVA en el curso MOOC de Project GUTS en español. Están agrupados según el módulo en que se utilizan.

Computational Science video

A short video (1:27) on the computational science cycle, used in Project GUTS CS in Science (Modules 2-4).

Teaching Computer Science and Creating Independent Learners

A video (7:54) for teachers and facilitators with helpful techniques on facilitating design-and-build activities in ways then encourage students to become self-sufficient problem solvers.

Getting Unstuck: Karen Brennan's "8 for 8"

This 8:13 minute video gives techniques for facilitating classrooms of students who are working on projects.

Swords and Shields variations