Dynamic Modeling with "MLE-Energy Dynamic" for Primary School

During the recent years simulation and modelling are growing instances in science education. In primary school, however, the main use of software is the simulation, due to the lack of modelling software tools specially designed to fit/accomplish the needs of primary education. In particular primary school teachers need to use simulation in a framework that is both consistent and simple enough to be understandable by children (Corni et al., 2010). One of the possible area to approach modelling is about the construction of the concept of energy, in particular for what concerns the relations among substance, potential, power (Fuchs, 2007). Following the previous initial research results with this approach (Corni et al., 2010), and with the static version of the software MLE Energy (Corni et al., 2009), we suggest the design and the experimentation of a dynamic modelling software - MLE dynamic - capable to represent dynamically the relations occurring when two substance-like quantities exchange energy, modifying their potential. By means of this software the user can graphically choose the dependent and independent variables and leave the other parameters fixed. The software has been initially evaluated, during a course of science education with a group of primary school teachers-to-be, to test the ability of the software to improve teachers’ way of thinking in terms of substance-like quantities and their effects (graphical representation of the extensive, intensive variables and their mutual relations); moreover, the software has been tested with a group of primary school teachers, asking their opinion about the software didactical relevance in the class work.