With the recognized importance of models in science education comes the
need for a theory of model-based learning and teaching. However, there is, to
date, no coherent theory that outlines the cognitive processes involved in modelbased
learning, nor are there any coherent theories of how model-based teaching
should be approached. The goals of the papers presented in this special issue and
the symposium from which they were drawn are: to provide a sample of different
research programmes that focus on model-based teaching and learning (MBTL),
to highlight what we have learned from these studies and others, and to identify
what we need to know in order to develop coherent theories of model-based
learning and teaching.