The U-NICE model for teaching

Larry Copes

First designed for evaluating success in teaching simulations using the Teaching Simulator(TM) for mathematics, the U-NICE model shows hope of being applicable to a broder range of teaching situations.

The letters represent different goals of teaching. The U, and to some extent the N, are curriculum goals. The I, C, and E are goals for the educational environment in which the learning is to take place.

U: Understanding. This category encompasses all objectives of the class that refer to conceptual or procedural understanding of content.

N: Nature of the discipline. This category includes understanding of the field's processes. In mathematics, for example, these include awareness of such factors as problem-solving strategies, the need for deductive reasoning and proof, the applicability of mathematics, the need to balance logic and intuition, the legitimacy of multiple valid approaches to a problem, the need for clear communication, and the existence of elegance.

I: Independent thinking and learning. Students so not rely on teachers to do their thinking and learning for them. This category is similar to what used to be called locus of control, but it also includes critical thinking, in the sense of being able to challenge others' ideas.

C: Comfort. Generally this category refers to emotional comfort to take the intellectual risks necessary for creative problem solving and critical thinking.

E: Engagement. This category represents the degree to which students are attentive and motivated to learn. Because students can become so comfortable that they disconnect with the classroom, good teaching must achieve balance between the C and E characteristics of a learning environment.

Note added 8/06: The U-NICE model has been supplemented by the more detailed ICE KAP model.

Institute for Studies in Educational Mathematics

2005