Mathematical Modeling as a Catalyst for Equitable Mathematics Instruction: Preparing Teachers and Young Learners with 21st Century Skills

This case study focuses on a team of teachers and students in a Lesson Study, focused on using mathematical modeling (MM) to make significant decisions to design and plan for a sustainable edible garden in their community. We examined (a) how teachers develop students’ capacity to engage in mathematical modeling, while attending to equitable teaching practices; and (b) how teachers’ view of teaching through mathematics modeling changed after unit implementation. We found that teachers were deliberate in employing specific structures, routines, and tools to attend to equitable participation, when eliciting student thinking in the modeling process. We found that teachers’ view of mathematics modeling changed as they recognized how MM allowed for (a) integration of important mathematics concepts while giving students ownership of the mathematics; (b) opportunity to assess both content and 21st century process skills; and (c) positive energy that came from both students and teachers when teaching through the use of mathematical modeling. A promising strategy for preparing our youth for rigorous mathematics and skills to solve ill-structured problems is by integrating mathematical modeling in early elementary grades to develop critical 21st century skills and a productive disposition towards problem posing and problem solving.