Pre-service elementary teachers' experience of mathematical modeling with Pac-Man

Presentation Type

Abstract

Faculty Advisor

Joseph DiNapoli

Access Type

Event

Start Date

25-4-2025 1:30 PM

End Date

25-4-2025 2:29 PM

Description

This study focuses on the experiences of a group of pre-service elementary teachers, as they encountered a mathematical modeling task. As part of a doctoral course on mathematical modeling in Spring 2024, I facilitated a modeling experience based on the popular game of Pac-Man, where the main objective was to help Pac-Man get to safety. This mathematical modeling task was chosen because it was assumed to be relevant to students’ experiences, introduce key aspects of the modeling cycle, and foster growth and perseverance so as to encourage students to apply different mathematical concepts to find solutions. In this poster, I will discuss some general themes about how these students approached mathematical modeling, and how I interpret these themes, with special attention to how these individuals and teams of students approached the modeling process. These findings are relevant for mathematics education research that concerns both pre-service elementary teachers, and how students experience mathematical modeling tasks. These findings also have implications for research that concerns how mathematics educators might modify existing tasks to better align with student-centered instructional goals, and how to manage different group dynamics within teams of students during a modeling experience.

Comments

Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.

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Apr 25th, 1:30 PM Apr 25th, 2:29 PM

Pre-service elementary teachers' experience of mathematical modeling with Pac-Man

This study focuses on the experiences of a group of pre-service elementary teachers, as they encountered a mathematical modeling task. As part of a doctoral course on mathematical modeling in Spring 2024, I facilitated a modeling experience based on the popular game of Pac-Man, where the main objective was to help Pac-Man get to safety. This mathematical modeling task was chosen because it was assumed to be relevant to students’ experiences, introduce key aspects of the modeling cycle, and foster growth and perseverance so as to encourage students to apply different mathematical concepts to find solutions. In this poster, I will discuss some general themes about how these students approached mathematical modeling, and how I interpret these themes, with special attention to how these individuals and teams of students approached the modeling process. These findings are relevant for mathematics education research that concerns both pre-service elementary teachers, and how students experience mathematical modeling tasks. These findings also have implications for research that concerns how mathematics educators might modify existing tasks to better align with student-centered instructional goals, and how to manage different group dynamics within teams of students during a modeling experience.