Computer models are used today in every area of research and industry. Students should be introduced to computational modeling because it is a professional activity of scientists and engineers. Students should learn about the possibilities and limitations of computer and should learn to construct and use models. Via modeling they can develop higher level skills, such as, predicting, hypotheses testing, analytical reasoning, and explaining.
New curricula for the upper level of Dutch secondary education, with more emphasis on modeling, started in 2013. System dynamics based graphical modeling is considered as a appropriate approach to computational modelling. But in school practice modeling does not go without problems, students have difficulties with designing, adapting and interpreting models. Dr. Onne van Buuren in his PhD research (his promotor was our Director Ton Ellermeijer) investigated how modeling can be implemented into the physics curriculum in an effective way. He has chosen our Coach software as modeling environment. The article Understanding of Relation Structures of Graphical Models by Lower Secondary Students published in Research in Science Education (DOI: 10.1007/s11165-015-9474-x) describes this research and conclusions.