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Full-Text Articles in Science and Mathematics Education

Undergraduate Mathematics Students Question And Critique Society Through Mathematical Modeling, Will Tidwell, Amy Bennett Jan 2024

Undergraduate Mathematics Students Question And Critique Society Through Mathematical Modeling, Will Tidwell, Amy Bennett

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Mathematics can be used as a tool to question and critique society and, in doing so, give us more information about the world around us and how it operates. This however, is not a common perspective that is conveyed to students during their undergraduate mathematics coursework. This paper contributes to the understanding of how undergraduate mathematics students question and critique society via mathematical modeling tasks. In two courses at two universities, 27 mathematics majors and secondary preservice teachers engaged in the modeling process situated in authentic contexts to learn specific concepts and make mathematical connections across domains and disciplines. Both …


Raising Student Awareness Of Environmental Issues Via Writing Assignments With Differential Equations, Michelle L. Ghrist Jan 2024

Raising Student Awareness Of Environmental Issues Via Writing Assignments With Differential Equations, Michelle L. Ghrist

CODEE Journal

In this paper, I discuss two environmentally-focused writing assignments that I developed and implemented in recent integral calculus and differential equations courses. These models of carbon storage and PCB’s in a river provide interesting applications of one-compartment mixing problems. The assignments were intended to focus student attention on sustainability concerns while also developing other essential skills. I discuss these assignments and their effect on my students’ technical writing and environmental awareness. Detailed introductory instructions and mostly complete solutions to these assignments appear in the appendices, to include sample student work.


Blue Whale And Krill Populations Modeling, Li Zhang Jan 2024

Blue Whale And Krill Populations Modeling, Li Zhang

CODEE Journal

We present an intriguing topic in an undergraduate mathematical modeling course where predator-prey models are taught to our students. We describe modeling activities and the use of technology that can be implemented in teaching this topic. Through modeling activities, students are expected to use the numerical and graphical methods to observe the qualitative long-term behavior of predator and prey populations. Although there are other choices of predators and prey, we find that using blue whales and krill as predator and prey, respectively, would be most beneficial in strengthening our students' awareness of protecting endangered species and its impact on climate …


Solar Panels, Euler’S Method And Community-Based Projects: Connecting Differential Equations With Climate Change, Victor J. Donnay Jan 2024

Solar Panels, Euler’S Method And Community-Based Projects: Connecting Differential Equations With Climate Change, Victor J. Donnay

CODEE Journal

How does mathematics connect with the search for solutions to the climate emergency? One simple connection, which can be explored in an introductory differential equations course, can be found by analyzing the energy generated by solar panels or wind turbines. The power generated by these devices is typically recorded at standard time intervals producing a data set which gives a discrete approximation to the power function $P(t)$. Using numerical techniques such as Euler’s method, one can determine the energy generated. Here we describe how we introduce the topic of solar power, apply Euler’s method to determine the energy generated, and …


Modeling The Ecological Dynamics Of A Three-Species Fish Population In The Chesapeake Bay, Iordanka N. Panayotova, Maila B. Hallare Mar 2021

Modeling The Ecological Dynamics Of A Three-Species Fish Population In The Chesapeake Bay, Iordanka N. Panayotova, Maila B. Hallare

CODEE Journal

We present an inquiry-based project that is designed for a mathematical modeling class of undergraduate junior or senior students. It discusses a three-species mathematical model that simulates the biological interactions among three important fish species in the Chesapeake Bay: the prey Atlantic menhaden and its two competing predators, the striped bass and the non-native blue catfish. The model also considers the following ecological issues related to these three species: the overfishing of menhaden, the invasiveness of the blue catfish, and the harvesting of blue catfish as a method to control the population. A series of modeling scenarios are considered based …


Mathematical Modeling: Part 1 Of Series, Catherine Martin Jan 2021

Mathematical Modeling: Part 1 Of Series, Catherine Martin

Colorado Mathematics Teacher

The Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Mathematical Modeling Education (GAIMME), released in April 2016, provides specific guidance and support to teachers as they incorporate the practice of mathematical modeling into classroom instruction.


Modeling Where It Matters: Redesigning Mathematics Education With Adolescent Girls Of Color, Kara L. Imm Jun 2020

Modeling Where It Matters: Redesigning Mathematics Education With Adolescent Girls Of Color, Kara L. Imm

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mathematical modeling is not a new idea for mathematicians, scientists, and engineers. But until recently it remained largely outside of the purview of most K-12 math educators. With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010) modeling gained a more prominent place within math curriculum and instruction. An iterative form of problem solving, which supports students to make generalizable models instead of single-use solutions, modeling is now poised to be taken up as a practice in classrooms across the country. The purpose of this research—a design study—is to understand how a carefully …


Testing The Psychometric Properties Of The Modeling Self-Efficacy Scale, Anu Sharma, Stephen J. Pape, Jonathan Templin Jul 2019

Testing The Psychometric Properties Of The Modeling Self-Efficacy Scale, Anu Sharma, Stephen J. Pape, Jonathan Templin

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The Modeling Self-Efficacy Scale was developed to measure middle and high school students’ confidence in understanding and solving modeling tasks. The scale was administered to 225 eighth- and ninth-grade students. Participants read modeling tasks adapted from Programme for International Student Assessment’s 2003 problem-solving assessment and rated their confidence on a 100-point self-efficacy scale. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that modeling self-efficacy is a unidimensional construct, best elicited by a repeated-measures-style survey design in which participants responded to the same self-efficacy items across multiple modeling problems. The omega reliability coefficient for the scale was .88. The findings suggest that the Modeling Self-Efficacy …


Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Modeling As A Tool For Instruction, Ginger S. Watson, Mary Enderson Mar 2019

Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Modeling As A Tool For Instruction, Ginger S. Watson, Mary Enderson

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

As the standards movement continues to gain momentum in U.S. schools, preservice and in-service teachers need greater knowledge in mathematical modeling to engage PK-12 students in such practices. This case-based research study investigated the perceptions and understandings of modeling for 76 entry-level, preservice elementary teachers enrolled in a mathematics methods course at a mid-Atlantic university. Participants were prompted to define modeling and its application to classroom instruction through open-response questions administered in an online survey. A case-based, phenomenological method was used to code and analyze responses. Most preservice teachers expressed a very limited definition or understanding of modeling or how …


Effects Of The Instruction With Mathematical Modeling On Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Mathematical Modeling Performance, Gulzade Karaci Yasa, Ilhan Karatas Jan 2018

Effects Of The Instruction With Mathematical Modeling On Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Mathematical Modeling Performance, Gulzade Karaci Yasa, Ilhan Karatas

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the instruction with mathematical modeling on pre-service mathematics teachers’ mathematical modeling performance. The participants were 24 pre-service elementary mathematics teachers. A mixed method approach was used to conduct the research. Each week, the participants were given two mathematical modeling problems and solved them as a group. After that, each group shared their solutions with the class so that there was an opportunity to focus on different solution methods. The data was collected via a pre and a post mathematical modeling test. SPSS package program was utilized in order to …


A Primer For Mathematical Modeling, Marla A. Sole Oct 2013

A Primer For Mathematical Modeling, Marla A. Sole

Publications and Research

With the implementation of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recommendations and the adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, modeling has moved to the forefront of K-12 education. Modeling activities not only reinforce purposeful problem-solving skills, they also connect the mathematics students learn in school with the mathematics they will use outside of school. Instructors have found mathematical modeling difficult to teach. To successfully incorporate modeling activities I believe that curricular changes should be accompanied by professional development for curriculum developers, classroom teachers, and higher education professionals. This article serves as an introduction to modeling by …