"[A]ll models are wrong, but some are useful." (George Box, 1987, Empirical Model-Building and Response Surfaces, p. 424)
Modeling is a long-honored tool in science and math: as we observe a phenomenon we try to express it as a model. As the geocentric model of the solar system fails to hold up, it is supplanted by the heliocentric model; as the circular orbit model fails it is supplanted by the elliptical orbit model. (See Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions for a lot more like that.) In the teaching community, science educators have employed models to teach physics (force diagrams), chemistry (atomic models), biology (systems models for cells or organisms, predator and prey models for evolution or ecological sustainability), and so forth.
The history community of course works with theses, which imply a model – Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis, or Weber's thesis about Protestant vs. Catholic societies are built on top of assumptions about causal relationships. At times these thesis surface in the history education community, but only as a quick glance before returning to the work of covering the curriculum. As history educators race to pack it all in, they might establish certain patterns (cause and effect, or change over time) and we of course use timelines, which are very simple descriptive models. Our modeling is not in the same tradition as that used in science and math.
What I propose doing is building more interactive, detailed models to display historical events / figures / trends. The purpose of the models is only PARTIALLY to teach, "This is what happened." What I really want to get into is how is this model WRONG or (at best) INCOMPLETE. (In history, every model is guaranteed to be incomplete: reality is infinitely complex, and who is to say, from a historical viewpoint, which details can be left out without harming the model's accuracy?)
What I currently have: Four models for the events up to and through the Revolutionary War.
1750-1763: Leading into and during the F&I / 7Y wars. Basically just introducing the mechanics (three stances, random assignment from neutral to other stances). Once the war starts, the odds ratio changes and folks should start turning much more anti-Revolution and pro-British. (I guess I could also add a debt feature and show it zooming during the war.)
1763-1773: Economic regulation model. Click on the stamp next to Prime Minister Grenville, put in place the Stamp Act (etc. -- Sugar & Molasses Acts, Townshend Acts). This will start bringing down the debt but start turning sentiment against the British and toward Revolution.
1773-1781: Military conflict. Click on Howe to send him into action; prop up anti-Revolution strength, but also incur debt and change the odds to favor Revolution.
1775-1783: French intervention. Click on Louis' money, ships, or troops to send them into action. Each will strengthen the pro-Revolution forces and change the odds in their favor. I didn't do any modeling of French national debt.
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