The PQM triangle is a reasoning tool, and a triangle in our curriculum also refers to several days (or weeks) of instruction focused on developing a model for reasoning about biological phenomena (e.g Triangle for Natural Selection or Triangle for Matter Cycling).
Our MBER curriculum uses the PQM triangle-or Model Triangle-as a reasoning tool for students to learn about biology. We often begin with an exploration of a biological phenomenon (P vertex of the triangle), students will then generate questions (Q vertex) and finally, students will build a model (M vertex) that answers and explains the questions and the phenomenon presented when we started the model triangle. Sometimes we will go from P to Q to M, but sometimes we will go the other direction. A model can generate new questions and lead us to explore new phenomena. This is just what scientists do in their profession—they build models that explain phenomena. This is what we want for our students, to participate in the practice of science and learn through the process of model-generation. As teachers, our responsibility is to guide them in the practice of science. In our curriculum a Model Triangle also refers to several days (or weeks) of instruction focused on developing a model for reasoning about biological phenomena (e.g. Model Triangle of Natural Selection or Model Triangle of Matter Cycles)
We use the PQM framework as an organizing structure throughout all of MBER-Biology. Each portion of the curriculum is defined by the triangle and where the class community is in their reasoning. The curriculum is chunked into segments not by time (i.e. 50 minute class periods) but by what we are doing around the triangle in that particular segment. We call these chunks "learning segments" to remind us of the goals we have for student reasoning that go beyond merely "covering" a topic. When you go into the model triangles you will see that the overviews of each triangle are organized and presented using the PQM Framework.