The study examined how mathematical modelling can be integrated into regular mathematics lessons, rather than only into special projects or dedicated modelling days. The article proposes a framework for structured mathematical modelling in authentic scientific and engineering contexts, such as image processing, sensors, artificial intelligence, and navigation. In the study, 23 novice secondary mathematics teachers with scientific or engineering backgrounds designed tasks for high school students that guide them step by step: understanding a real-world problem, simplifying it, building a mathematical model, solving it, interpreting the result, and checking whether it makes sense in reality.
The findings showed that it is possible to maintain a strong connection to real-world situations while making the tasks accessible and suitable for a regular mathematics lesson. The tasks were especially successful in supporting students’ understanding of the problem and construction of the mathematical model, while the stage of validating the results was more challenging. The importance of the study lies in offering a practical way to make mathematics more useful and relevant for students, showing them how mathematics is used in science, technology, and engineering, and helping teachers create meaningful learning experiences without moving away from the school curriculum.
Read the full article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11858-025-01654-7
Author: Zehavit Kohen
Research group’s website: https://mted.technion.ac.il/en/
