Identifier
etd-07032012-124945
Degree
Master of Natural Sciences (MNS)
Department
Natural Sciences (Interdepartmental Program)
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Mathematical modeling is the procedure whereby students apply mathematical concepts learned in class to new and unfamiliar situations. A modeling task is a mathematically-rich problem that engages students in mathematical thinking, drawing upon their previously learned knowledge and supporting their understanding of the mathematical concepts currently being covered. Modeling requires students to assign meaning to the mathematical concepts and to extend the concepts beyond rote learning. In order for students to be successful in a classroom that is centered around the idea of mathematical modeling, the students must be taught how to collaborate with other students, persevere through challenging problems, and become aware of their own thinking. In this thesis, I focus on a professional development workshop designed to train high school teachers on how to successfully use mathematical modeling in their classroom by providing them with guidelines on how to use modeling tasks effectively, sample tasks that can be used, and instruction on how to develop modeling tasks for their classroom. The goal is to affect change in the daily routines of high school mathematics classrooms by providing teachers with compelling reasons why changes are necessary, steps on how to make the necessary changes, and good examples of problems to be used in class.
Date
2012
Document Availability at the Time of Submission
Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.
Recommended Citation
Oswalt, Selena, "Mathematical modeling in the high school classroom" (2012). LSU Master's Theses. 3306.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/3306
Committee Chair
Neubrander, Frank
DOI
10.31390/gradschool_theses.3306