Interdisciplinary Modeling Instruction: Helping Fifth Graders Learn About Levers

Brandon Helding, Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz, Tirupalavanam Ganesh, Shirley Fang

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This chapter examines and comments on a brief teaching experiment in which fifth graders explored levers. The teacher–researcher employed modeling instruction (Hestenes, 1996), an inquiry based pedagogical approach that is widely utilized in high school physics instruction. The method relies on collaborative meaning making by students who work together in small groups on laboratory exercises or problems, whiteboard their findings and share and compare their thinking with other groups at “board meetings” – whole class discussions facilitated by the teacher–researcher. We analyze the teacher–researcher’s choices in designing and managing the learning environment in this setting in an attempt to identify how this instructional method can best be used with students of this age and mathematical sophistication.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationInternational Perspectives on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematical Modelling
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media B.V.
Pages327-339
Number of pages13
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013

Publication series

NameInternational Perspectives on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematical Modelling
ISSN (Print)2211-4920
ISSN (Electronic)2211-4939

Keywords

  • Board Meeting
  • Modeling Instruction
  • Realistic Mathematic Education
  • Simple Machine
  • Teaching Experiment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Mathematics (miscellaneous)

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