Exploring Mathematical Modeling with Young Learners

This book conceptualizes the nature of mathematical modeling in the early grades from both teaching and learning perspectives. Mathematical modeling provides a unique opportunity to engage elementary students in the creative process of mathematizing their world.
A diverse community of internationally known researchers and practitioners share studies that advance the field with respect to the following themes: 

• The Nature of Mathematical Modeling in the Early Grades

• Content Knowledge and Pedagogy for Mathematical Modeling

• Student Experiences as Modelers

• Teacher Education and Professional Development in Modeling

Experts in the field provide commentaries that extend and connect ideas presented across chapters. This book is an invaluable resource in illustrating what all young children can achieve with mathematical modeling and how we can support teachers and families in this important work.

Jennifer Suh is a Professor in the Graduate School of Education, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University. Dr. Suh teaches mathematics methods courses in the Elementary Education Program and mathematics leadership courses for the Mathematics Specialist Masters and Ph.D Programs.  She directs the Center for Outreach in Mathematics Professional Learning and Educational Technology, COMPLETE, a joint center between the College of Education and the College of Science. Her research focuses on: Implementing Lesson Study to develop pedagogical mathematics knowledge across the continuum from pre-service teachers to mathematics teacher leaders; Building children's development of mathematical meaning through math modeling and representational fluency; Promoting equitable access to 21st century skills through problem-based learning encouraging creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration for diverse student populations. Through formal and informal educational outreach, Dr. Suh enjoys working with schools, communities teachers and parents to show how math can be useful in solving real world problems and be enjoyable to teach and learn.

Megan H. Wickstrom is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, College of Letters and Science, Montana State University. Dr. Wickstrom primarily teaches mathematics content courses across the elementary, middle-level, and secondary education programs. In addition, she also teaches methods courses for secondary teaching majors and courses in the Masters of Science in Mathematics Education Program. Dr. Wickstrom’s research focuses on two strands: teachers’ implementation of research into practice and pre-service teachers’ content knowledge. With regard to teachers’ implementation of research into practice, Dr. Wickstrom is interested in how teachers work with research materials like hypothetical learning trajectories and math modeling tasks and make sense of them in relation to their current curriculum and practices. Dr. Wickstrom enjoys working collaboratively with teachers in using research to inform task development that engages students in rich mathematical thinking and discussion. With regard to pre-service teachers’ content knowledge, Dr. Wickstrom is interested in how future teachers grapple with concepts surrounding geometry and measurement and mathematical modeling. In addition to documenting pre-service teachers’ conceptions, she also enjoys developing tasks to foster growth in understanding.

Lyn English is a Professor of STEM Education at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Her areas of research, spanning K-8, include mathematics education, STEM education, engineering in the elementary and middle schools, mathematical modeling, problem solving and reasoning, statistics education, and early mathematics learning. Lyn is a Fellow of The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and is founding editor (1997) of the international journal, Mathematical Thinking and Learning (Taylor & Francis). She is the editor of the Springer series, Early Mathematics Learning and Development, and has published numerous edited books with various publishing houses, as well as many book chapters, journal articles and other papers.