Adopting the Modelling Cycle for Representing Prospective and Practising Teachers’ Interpretations of Students’ Modelling Activities

Abstract

Teachers play an important role in determining how students work on modelling activities. In the current study, practising and prospective teachers engaged with modelling activities to develop their ability to identify students' modelling process. The study sought to answer the research question as to how the teachers' participation in modelling affects their interpretation of students' modelling activity. Data included two sets of participants' reports on their observations of a video-recorded modelling activity carried out by a group of five sixth-grade students, pre and post participation in four modelling activities. The findings indicate that prior to engaging with modelling activities, most participants described the students' modelling as linear, noting only the final mathematical model and mathematical results. After participating in the activities, most of the practising teachers' reports and a third of the prospective teachers's reports identified cyclical processes in the modelling.