Insights Regarding the Professional Development of Teachers of Young Learners of Mathematical Modeling

This section has addressed the preparation of others to teach mathematical modeling to young learners. Each of the four chapters examines how adults, either pre-service teachers or parents, learn to teach mathematical modeling to young children. There does not yet exist a robust tradition of elementary grade students engaged in the process of mathematical modeling in the USA, where the studies in these chapters are situated. Then how do elementary teachers learn to teach modeling? The chapter authors describe their research about and experiences in teaching modeling to those who are new to formal modeling. These chapters anticipate and examine answers to the questions: What challenges and opportunities can teacher educators face as they engage teachers or parents in learning about mathematical modeling? How can teacher educators support teaching practices that give teachers and parents the best chance at engaging young in mathematical modeling?