Examining Teacher Interventions in Teaching Mathematical Modeling: A Case of Middle School Teacher

Abstract

The teachers' pedagogical understanding of modeling applications is one of the most critical issues in teaching mathematical modeling. The interventions used by the teacher during the implementation of the tasks are the mirror of their pedagogical knowledge. For this reason, teacher interventions, which have a decisive effect on defining the teacher's role in teaching mathematical modeling, are a crucial issue to investigate. This study examines the types of interventions used by a middle school mathematics teacher who completed professional development in mathematical modeling. The data was collected in an eighth-grade classroom consisting of twenty students. The mathematical modeling task, called Intersection Arrangement, was implemented for 2 hours, and both video and audio recordings were used to collect data. All recordings were transcribed and analyzed using the content analysis method, supported by observer notes and student worksheets. The results revealed that the teacher mostly had effective environmental and classroom interaction interventions. The teacher avoided having content-oriented or strategic interventions or did not intervene during the modeling process. These intervention types might be because of the teacher's unwillingness to affect the modeling process. On the other hand, the fact that the teacher was more active in the presentation and evaluation stage supports his hesitations and difficulties about where and how to intervene in the modeling process. The relevant literature and the results of this research show that teachers must have unique pedagogical knowledge in teaching mathematical modeling.

Keywords

• mathematical modeling
• teacher intervention
• classroom teaching

Project Number

117K169

Matematiksel Modelleme Öğretiminde Öğretmen Müdahalelerinin İncelenmesi: Bir Ortaokul Öğretmeni Örneği

Abstract

Matematiksel modelleme öğretiminde en önemli konulardan biri matematiksel modelleme uygulamalarında öğretmenin sahip olması gereken pedagojik bilgidir. Ders uygulaması sırasında öğretmenin kullandığı müdahaleler ise pedagojik bilgisinin dışavurumudur. Bu sebeple matematiksel modelleme öğretiminde öğretmen rolünün tanımlanmasında belirleyici etkiye sahip olan öğretmen müdahaleleri araştırılması gereken önemli bir faktördür. Bu çalışmada matematiksel modelleme eğitimine katılan bir ortaokul matematik öğretmeninin eğitimden sonra sınıf içi matematiksel modelleme uygulamalarının birinde kullandığı müdahale türleri incelenmiştir. Sekizinci sınıf öğrencilerinden oluşan 20 kişilik bir sınıfta “Kavşak Düzenleme” probleminin (2 ders saati) uygulamasına ait videolar transkript edilmiş, gözlemci notları ve öğrenci çalışma kağıtları ile desteklenerek içerik analizi yöntemi ile analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular öğretmenin en çok duyuşsal müdahaleler ile ortam ve etkileşime yönelik müdahalelerde bulunduğunu göstermektedir. Öğretmenin içeriğe yönelik müdahalelerden kaçınması, stratejik müdahalelerde bulunmaması ya da müdahale etmemesi ise öğretmenin modelleme sürecini etkilemek istememesinden kaynaklandığı düşünülmektedir. Öte yandan sunum ve değerlendirme aşamasında daha etkin olması modelleme sürecinde nerede nasıl müdahale edeceği konusunda tereddütler ve zorluklar yaşadığını desteklemektedir. Yapılan çalışmalar ve bu araştırmanın sonuçları matematiksel modellemenin öğretiminde öğretmenlerin özel bir pedagojik bilgiye sahip olmaları gerektiğini ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• matematiksel modelleme
• öğretmen müdahaleleri
• sınıfiçi uygulamalar

Supporting Institution

TÜBİTAK-

Project Number

117K169

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