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A growing consensus holds that preservice K–8 teachers (PSTs) need to experience the modeling process as learners to understand it and envision teaching modeling in their future classrooms. We examine this recommendation by exploring how PSTs construct models and how collaborative learning practices influence them in revising and refining their models. We also explore their reflections on modeling as a pedagogical experience. We introduce Modeling Decision Maps as a tool to examine how PSTs construct and refine mathematical models, and we draw on reflective journal entries to capture PSTs’ perspectives on the process. Our findings indicate that realistic modeling tasks provide opportunities to foster PSTs’ understanding of modeling, grow their mathematical modeling skills, and attune them to important pedagogical practices. 

Social justice mathematical modeling is powerful in helping teachers build awareness of social issues, critique existing systems, and engage in rich mathematical reasoning. In this article, we document a task in which 28 preservice teachers (PSTs) explored if teacher pay is fair and how to define “fair” mathematically. Through qualitative analysis of PSTs’ reflections, we studied the effectiveness of the task through the lens of critical consciousness. Twenty-six of the participants reported developing social and mathematical agency with respect to the task. Because the task related to PSTs’ lived experiences, it allowed them to examine their assumptions about teacher pay, empowered them to use mathematics to explore different perspectives, and helped them envision ways they could enact change. 

Although culturally responsive mathematics teaching is important, post-secondary education for preservice teachers (PTs) does not typically lead to learning opportunities for them to use mathematics to recognize the roles of social agents. To address this issue, we created a culturally responsive mathematical modeling task in which we invited PTs to use diverse approaches to create an action plan for the handling of local pothole data and maintenance. This study explores the approaches that PTs take when generating solutions to solve a culturally responsive mathematical modeling task and to investigate the perceptions of preservice teachers towards the task. The study involved 41 PTs, most of whom had no prior experience with mathematical modeling before participating in the task. PTs compared and inspected the documented data and noticed problems, such as a large economic disparity in the city. The PTs drafted solutions and shared their findings and suggestions in a proposal to the City’s Public Works Department. The proposals reflected different approaches, which helped the PTs understand the large income disparity and inequities certain neighborhoods in the city experience and provided recommendations for the city to address these issues. The creation of a culturally responsive mathematical modeling task provided an opportunity for PTs to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving while using diverse approaches to address a local social justice issue. This study provides insights into effective strategies for promoting socially responsible mathematics education in teacher preparation programs. 

Our study aims to investigate what teachers do as they draw on their mathematical understanding and personal experiences to engage in social justice-oriented mathematical modeling. We analyze what ideas were expressed by teachers regarding their mathematical identities while they explore, wrestle with, and reconcile the underlying societal values that support mathematical models. We invited groups of teachers to make mathematical models for distributing school funding given real data from diverse, anonymized schools. Our results show that teachers created and refined diverse mathematical models to connect the mathematical world and societal space and these models reflected different societal values. Drawing on their own experiences, teachers expressed a sense of agency and critical consciousness while making decisions about school funding. This study delineates mathematical contents and processes necessary for advancing a societal goal of fairly distributing funds and we explore how teachers connect to this context as learners and members of society. 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch activity involves an urgent environmental issue that students can discuss. It engages students in the interpretation of visual data, measurements, units, and the area of regular and irregular figures.