Computer modeling promotes mechanistic reasoning when learners build and analyze models of complex systems to explore causal mechanisms and use models to generate patterns. StarLogo Nova (SLN), an agent-based modeling (ABM) environment, enables novice programmers to model a system's individual components and investigate its emergent, collective…

StarLogo The Next Generation (TNG) enables secondary school students and teachers to model decentralized systems through agent-based programming. TNG's inclusion of a three-dimensional graphical environment provides the capacity to create games and simulation models with a first-person perspective. The authors theorize that student learning of…

This paper focuses on one method used to introduce model design and creation using StarLogo to a group of high school teachers. Teachers with model-building skills can easily customize modeling environments for their classes. More importantly, model building can enable teachers to approach their curricula from a more holistic perspective, as well…