Episode 81 - ReCast - Phil Root - "Modeling at the College Level and Advanced Workshops"

Episode 81 - ReCast - Phil Root - "Modeling at the College Level and Advanced Workshops"

From Science Modeling Talks by Mark Royce

June 1, 2026 · 33 min · Episode 81

About this episode

Mark talks with Phil Root about teaching modeling methodology at different educational levels and the development of advanced workshops.

This week, Mark talks with Phil Root about the differences he sees between teaching using modeling methodology at the high school level and the college level. They talk about Phil's experience helping to adapt modeling materials for physical science to the Next Generation Science Standards, and how much he enjoyed building a storyline for those units. They talk about the advanced modeling workshops, including the new materials Phil helped to develop for them, and the various topics covered. They finish with Phil's advice for folks just starting out on a modeling instruction journey. Guests Phil Root Phil Root taught high school chemistry and physics at Chandler High School from 2004-2013, and has been teaching chemistry at Scottsdale Community College since 2013. Phil teaches using modeling methods at the college level, and also leads modeling workshops. He helped to develop the physical science curriculum for Next Generation Science Standards and worked with Levi Torrison to develop a thermodynamics modeling workshop and extend the Chem 2 workshop to a full three week course. Website   Highlights [11:05] Phil Root: "AMTA was actively engaging students before it was cool."…

People in this episode

Host: Mark Royce

Guest: Phil Root

Topics covered

  • modeling methodology
  • college education
  • advanced workshops
  • Next Generation Science Standards
  • physical science curriculum
  • teaching strategies

Keywords

  • modeling instruction
  • high school
  • college level
  • curriculum development
  • thermodynamics
  • chemistry education
  • workshops

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AMTA, Next Generation Science Standards

Places: Chandler High School, Scottsdale Community College

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