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Trends in Teaching and Learning of Mathematical Modelling pp 187–197Cite as

Modelling Tasks: Insight into Mathematical Understanding

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Abstract

It is claimed, students’ communication of their solutions to modelling tasks gives insight into the depth of their mathematical understandings and how they use prior knowledge of the context of a task in their solution. In the example given, both students, Tabitha and Tanya, take an integrating approach to dealing with mathematics and reality in such tasks and their manner of dealing with the context of real world tasks remained stable from Year 9 to Year 11. In addition, communicative artefacts required by the tasks help reveal the students’ deepening understanding of mathematics.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Jill Brown was a doctoral student of University of Melbourne on Australian Research Council funded Linkage Project – LP0453701 when these data were collected.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education (Victoria), Australian Catholic University, 115 Victoria Parade, 4115, FITZROY, 3065, Australia

    Jill P. Brown

  2. Luther College, Victoria, Australia

    Ian Edwards

Authors
  1. Jill P. Brown
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  2. Ian Edwards
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jill P. Brown .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FB Erziehungswissenschaft, Inst. Didaktik der Mathematik, Universität Hamburg, Von Melle Park 8, Hamburg, 20146, Germany

    Gabriele Kaiser

  2. Abt. Mathematik/Informatik, Universität Kassel, Kassel, 34109, Germany

    Werner Blum

  3. University of Hamburg, Germany, Doscherstrasse 1, Hamburg, 22083, Germany

    Rita Borromeo Ferri

  4. University of Melbourne, Australia, 23 Grampian Street, Victoria, 3072, Australia

    Gloria Stillman

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Brown, J.P., Edwards, I. (2011). Modelling Tasks: Insight into Mathematical Understanding. In: Kaiser, G., Blum, W., Borromeo Ferri, R., Stillman, G. (eds) Trends in Teaching and Learning of Mathematical Modelling. International Perspectives on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematical Modelling, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0910-2_20

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