MODEL-DEVELOPMENT SEQUENCE PART I:
DESIGN PROCESS FOR MODEL-ELICITING ACTIVITIES
Edith S. Gummer
Oregon State University
This
poster presentation is the first of a four-part sequence that describes
Model-Eliciting and Exploration Activities.
This poster presents the process that activity designers have typically
engaged in to develop the Model-Eliciting Activities. The activity designers
work individually and in teams to craft the activity relative to the needs of
the person or groups requesting the task.
The process is both multi-step and iterative.
A Model-Eliciting Activity asks students to
develop a mathematical model that describes, explains, manipulates, or predicts
the behavior of a real world mathematical or scientific system. Students are given a problem statement that
represents a real-world dilemma that needs to be solved for an identified
client. The students' solutions are
models in that they represent students' reasoning about the different elements
of the complex situation in which the problem is cast. Typically, the problem statement asks the
students to describe how the client can use the students’ solutions in the
future to solve similar problems. A Model-Exploration Activity is a follow-up
activity for the Model-Eliciting Activity.
The
design process typically starts with a rough idea of a problem and a context
that is presented to the design group.
The design team identifies a context in which the problem is realistically
situated and crafts an appropriate focus problem statement. Several design principles have been
identified to ensure that the activities elicit models of student
thinking. In addition, several
mathematical concepts have been identified that resist Model-Eliciting Activity
development.