Integrating Societal Issues with Mathematical Modelling in Pre-Service Teacher Education
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Integrating Mathematical Modelling and Societal Issues in Teacher Education
3. Theoretical Perspectives
3.1. Modelling to Raise Awareness and Responsibility
3.2. Modelling to Empower Students and Take Actions
4. Context of the Study
4.1. Data Collection
4.2. Data Analysis
5. Findings and Discussion
5.1. Raising Awareness, Responsibility, and Problem Posing
Problem solving: How to reduce litter in nature? Reasoning and argumentation: Why is it important that people do not throw rubbish in nature? How much trash do we find? How many trash cans? Where are the trash cans? Near places to eat? If we increase the number of rubbish bins, will the amount of rubbish in nature decrease? Statistics: How much plastic, paper, residual waste, and food waste do we find in nature? Make forms and tables.
How much do the cans cost? How big should they be? In what shape? Does it matter? How much money does the maintenance of the trash cans cost? How much does the pollution of not putting up trash cans cost? Picking up trash, environmental costs, wildlife, and ecosystem.
If I am not going to place trash cans or trash bins, should I place cameras? Is that another solution? Is that ethical now? Should I be… Should I suggest to Bergen kommune (municipality in Norwegian) to do that? And who is going to be responsible for that? How much is going to be the fee for people who throw trash?(workshop 1, p. 7)
The use of modelling as content, in cases like this bungee jumping Barbie, (...) where the goal of the bungee jumping of Barbie is to learn math, like measuring distance and finding patterns. (…) That was a problem that was already set by a teacher. But from a more social and critical perspective, what would be interesting would be something like: Is this Barbie model realistic? Is it real? Which could also involve very interesting discussions around proportional thinking, different analogies, functional thinking, symmetry, measuring, and modelling. (…) My point here is that different modelling perspectives ask different questions, so not all questions start from a situation asking how much or how many there are(workshop 2, pp. 10–11).
PT: Could you please explain how you’re playing this (referring to the societal context) into math or the modelling? How it comes together?
Georgia: What is math for you? (pause) That does not look like math?
PT: Doesn’t really… (pause) But if it’s like you’re taking focus on argumentation and reasoning, and then quite (inaudible) to mathematics… then I’m in, then I can understand.
I think it’s interesting and critical. (…) It is again a modelling task with Critical Mathematics Education (CME) concerns, and it is much more realistic than the spilled ink task, even if they share the same (mathematical) ideas. One option could be to show both tasks and ask about (PTs’) opinion and compare the tasks since they are similar and have similar (mathematical) ideas and aim(workshop 4, p. 4).
5.2. Modelling to Empower and Take Actions
But (…) after working with a critical perspective, what I’m always interested in as a problem solver, and a modeller, is doing something in the end that can change something in a situation that is really problematic. I have worked with all these numbers and problems that concern society, the community, the school, and my home. I have a responsibility as an individual and with others that I have worked with also. To take action, to do something with the power of math, the numbers, the power of the math that math has given me. Because that is another aspect of math, it empowers the problem-solver(workshop 2, page 12).
For example, if I work with a problem that is about plastic, as in plastic packaging, trash in any way, or cigarette butts, what will I do in the end? Will I actually tell my parents and my family when I see someone throwing plastic packaging on the ground or cigarette butts? How will I convince them that this is not rational behaviour, not responsible, because I have done the math? (…) That is why I am adding this action in this part of the modelling cycle. It is important that you take action. When you come to work with a problem, it is a social problem, and I have some responsibility. I have “ansvar” (“responsibility”, in Norwegian) to tell others and make my voice heard(workshop 2, pp. 12–13).
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Steffensen, L.; Kasari, G. Integrating Societal Issues with Mathematical Modelling in Pre-Service Teacher Education. Educ. Sci. 2023, 13, 721. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070721
Steffensen L, Kasari G. Integrating Societal Issues with Mathematical Modelling in Pre-Service Teacher Education. Education Sciences. 2023; 13(7):721. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070721
Chicago/Turabian StyleSteffensen, Lisa, and Georgia Kasari. 2023. "Integrating Societal Issues with Mathematical Modelling in Pre-Service Teacher Education" Education Sciences 13, no. 7: 721. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070721