Investigating design, implementation and evaluation process of the model eliciting activities: the perspective of model eliciting principles

ABSTRACT

This study aims to reveal how model eliciting principles are used in the process of designing, applying, and evaluating teacher candidates’ model-eliciting activities. This study was conducted in three stages in a multi-tiered teaching experiment. Firstly, 15 teacher candidates designed activities for Grade 7 students after they were trained on mathematical modeling. In the second stage, these activities were performed with Grade 7 students and video recorded. In the third stage, teacher candidates watched the videos and evaluated how model-eliciting principles were executed during instruction and revise their activities. To collect data, we used focus group interviews with teacher candidates, field notes, and reports. The findings revealed the two principles of reality and model construction to be at the fore during the design stage. The teacher candidates who watched the application videos found some problems in the principles of ‘reality’ ‘self-assessment’ and ‘model generalization’. Teacher candidates following the applications, for the new design, offered recommendations for ‘reality’ and ‘model construction’ principles although the other principles were somewhat neglected. They did express that by making the proper arrangements to the learning environment, students would be able to acquire the other principles over time.

KEYWORDS:

• Mathematical modeling
• mathematics teacher candidates
• Grade 7 students
• model-eliciting activities
• model-eliciting principles

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zehra Taşpınar Şener

Zehra Taşpınar Şener is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Education, Yildiz Technical University. Her research interests include pre-service mathematics teacher education, the impact of mathematical modeling and problem solving on mathematics learning and teaching, the mathematics curriculum, the teaching of mathematics concepts and qualitative researchs in mathematics education.

Yüksel Dede

Yuksel Dede is a faculty member at the Department of Mathematics Education, Gazi University. He worked at Berlin Freie University in Germany with the Alexander von Humboldt [AvH] Scholarship and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey [TUBITAK] scholarships. He has worked as a director, expert, or consultant in projects supported by various public institutions in Turkey (TUBITAK, Governorships, Governorates, Provincial Directorates of National Education) and abroad (AvH-Germany, Monash University, Australia). His research interests include the teaching of mathematics concepts (e.g., algebra teaching), teacher education (mathematics), affective domain in mathematics education (values, motivation, and beliefs, etc.), mathematical modeling, international comparative studies, research methods, and application of advanced statistical techniques in mathematics education.