ERIC Number: EJ1449935
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1085-3545
EISSN: EISSN-2164-7992
Democratic Practices as Part of Mathematical Modeling in Schools
Lisa Steffensen; Inger Elin Lilland; Shengtian Zhou
Democracy & Education, v32 n2 Article 3 2024
We focus on how democratic practices occur during the modeling activity "The Candy Bag of Dreams." With democratic practices, we refer to approaches supporting inclusivity and active participation aimed at empowering students. We investigated one group of preservice teachers implementing an optimizing modeling activity during practicum in two fifth- grade classes, where students modeled their dream candy bags. Students engaged in mathematical modeling where mathematics was embedded in their social context, and they negotiated meanings and developed perspectives. Through this, they experienced lived democracy by actively engaging in and through democratic practices. We found democratic practices such as students inviting peers to negotiate, showing consideration for peers, respecting different opinions, standing up and arguing for own interests, constraining self- interest, and discussing maximum fairness. They exercised their rights and responsibilities as learners and, by doing so, became empowered. The preservice teachers provided room for students' dialogues, discussions, and spaces for disagreement, a mathematics classroom "for" and "as" democracy. Implications of this study suggest that mathematical modeling activities can offer fruitful grounds for empowering students through their lived democracy. However, careful considerations should be made to ensure students' democratic practices during their group work.
Descriptors: Democracy, Mathematical Models, Inclusion, Student Empowerment, Preservice Teachers, Teacher Education Programs, Practicums, Elementary School Teachers, Grade 5, Food, Peer Relationship, Ethics, Student Responsibility, Elementary School Students, Classroom Techniques, Classroom Communication, Mathematics Instruction, Cooperative Learning, Dialogs (Language), Foreign Countries
Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling. 0615 SW Palatine Hill Road MSC 93, Portland, OR 97219. Tel: 503-768-6054; Fax: 503-768-6053; e-mail: journal@lclark.edu; Web site: http://democracyeducationjournal.org/home
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Education; Grade 5; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Norway
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A