COMAP Exploring Math Modeling in and Outside of the Classroom Webinar Series #7
The Introduction to Math Modeling Webinar Series is a series of 6 - 7 free webinars organized by COMAP held from October 2020 through May 2021. The goal of the webinar series is to promote student and teacher engagement in mathematical modeling in the classroom and through participation in math modeling contests such as HiMCM and MCM/ICM. The webinars are led by classroom teachers, professors and mathematicians. These experts hope to demonstrate how math modeling can be used to foster mathematical curiosity and engage students in real world problem solving. This engagement can serve to promote student agency and help students see themselves as learners and doers of mathematics.
Webinar #7
From a living wage to school segregation: Middle grades modeling to understand our world
Wednesday, May 12th 4:00 PM EST
I will discuss examples of mathematical modeling tasks I have used in my methods courses for future middle school teachers and in one case in a summer camp for middle school students. The living wage task is a more introductory task in which learners make a limited number of assumptions to determine a reasonable living wage for different "typical" families. The school segregation task asks learners to develop a method for determining whether schools in a particular area are segregated. We will then discuss the role of mathematical modeling in understanding our social and political world.
Panelist:
Dr. Mathew Felton-Koestler, Ohio University
Dr. Mathew Felton-Koestler is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Ohio University. He teaches math methods courses for future teachers. His scholarship focuses on issues of equity, diversity, and social justice in mathematics education, and in particular on how to use mathematics to understand social and political issues in the classroom.
