Model-Eliciting Activities for Teaching Mathematics

Author(s): Jonathan D. Bostic

Reviewed work(s):
Source: Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, Vol. 18, No. 5 (December 2012/January
2013), pp. 262-266
Published by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
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informing practice
research matters for teachers

Model-Eliciting Activities for

Teaching Mathematics

p
Jonathan D. Bostic

Edited by Debra I. Johanning, debra
.johanning@utoledo.edu. Readers are
encouraged to submit manuscripts
through http://mtms.msubmit.net.
Problem solving can be taught in three
distinct ways: Teaching about, teach-
ing for, and teaching through problem
solving (Schroeder and Lester 1989).
Teaching about problem solving
explores instruction focused on the
processes used and strategies chosen,
such as working backward or solving a
simpler problem. Teaching for problem
solving refers to the use of knowledge
in application. Textbooks that employ
this approach typically contain several
numerical exercises followed by word
problems where the skill is applied.
This format may foster the perception
that mathematics and problem solving
are separate (Grischenko 2009). Teach-
ing through problem solving typically
begins with a concrete problem, some-
times characterized as a rich task. A
rich task embodies one or more math-
ematics concepts, has the potential to
engage students in complex forms of
reasoning, and positions students to
make sense of the problem’s contextual
situation and the underlying math-
ematical concepts and procedures. As
students share their ideas for solving
the problem, the teacher scaffolds
students’ learning through questioning
and discussion. As students partici-
pate in classroom discussions, they
are articulating relevant mathematical
concepts and skills.
A model-eliciting activity (MEA)
is one type of rich task that can be
used to teach through problem solv-
ing. Like other rich tasks, MEAs
embody one or more mathematical
concepts and have the potential to
engage students in complex forms of
reasoning. Rich tasks typically involve
scenarios that both motivate and
interest students. They are open tasks,
which means that they may be solved
in multiple ways. These specialized
tasks encompass these components,
but, in addition, they have the distinct
aim of promoting modeling.
What is Modeling?
The Common Core State Standards
for Mathematics (CCSSM) have
outlined eight Mathematical Practices

262 Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School ● Vol. 18, No. 5, December 2012/January 2013
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Fig. 1 This MEA is in the context of the real-life scenario of air travel and potential delays.

DEPARTING ON TIME Number of Minutes Late for Flights Departing from O’Hare Airport
Background Information Sky Voyage Central American Mexico Sudamerica Southeast
In June, the Chicago Spanish Club is going Airline Airlines Express Internacional Airline
on a study-abroad trip to Venezuela. It has 5 15 9 0 0
hired your team to help them select which
0 9 5 25 5
airline to fly. Last year, the club had a mis-
erable experience when traveling to Bar- 20 4 5 0 0
celona. The connecting flight to Reykjavik, 5 0 5 9 9
Iceland, was late, so the group missed its 0 0 125 0 40
next flight to Barcelona. The entire class
6 14 10 0 0
had to spend the night in the airport.
Club members have identified five 0 20 5 4 5
airlines with economical fares that fly from 0 15 10 0 25
O’Hare International Airport to Venezuela, 15 16 0 35 10
but they are still in the process of identify- 0 0 4 0 30
ing more airlines that fly to their destina-
0 0 10 0 12
tion. Most of the flights have a connecting
flight in Mexico City. They are hoping 7 15 10 10 0
to find the airline that has the smallest 0 10 10 5 0
chance of departing late from O’Hare so 5 10 9 55 10
that they are less likely to arrive late in
40 25 7 0 9
Mexico City. They do not want to miss
4 5 12 0 5
their one connecting flight to Venezuela
this year. 0 20 5 0 0
0 15 0 17 27
Task 0 11 10 5 11
To the right is information about departure
0 12 7 0 0
times for flights on the five airlines that
the Spanish Club has identified thus far. 3 0 13 65 30
The departure times refer to flights leaving 60 5 0 5 5
from O’Hare and scheduled to arrive in 5 0 0 0 0
Mexico City. Rank the five airlines in terms 0 30 10 0 4
of most likely to be on time to least likely
7 4 5 2 40
to be on time. As you rank the airlines,
keep track of your process. Describe your 0 5 4 0 0
process in a letter to the Spanish Club 0 10 6 0 15
so that trip organizers can use a similar 123 10 5 75 0
process to rank the additional airlines that
0 25 7 0 6
they may identify at a later time.
5 4 5 0 9

that should be incorporated with the
teaching of content. One practice,
modeling with mathematics, focuses
on developing the capacity to use
math to solve complex problems aris-
ing in everyday life. Modeling requires
making sense of a problem situation
and creating useful mathematical rep-
resentations for it. CCSSM describes
what instruction should work toward
and what students should be expected
to do:
They are able to identify important
quantities in a practical situation
and map their relationships using
such tools as diagrams, two-way
tables, graphs, flowcharts and
formulas. They can analyze those re-
lationships mathematically to draw
conclusions. They routinely interpret
their mathematical results in the
context of the situation and reflect
on whether the results make sense,
possibly improving the model if it
has not served its purpose. (CCSSI
2010, p. 7)
This description alludes to features
that would be present in the design of

Vol. 18, No. 5, December 2012/January 2013 ● Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School 263

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Fig. 2 The teacher wrote this Pizza MEA using students’ interest as a context and using curricular goals to develop content.

DIRECTIONS
Use your knowledge of ratios, rates, unit rates, data representations, and data analysis to answer the questions below. Please show
all your work for every problem-solving step. Create a math model, and use a strategy to find the result for each question. Carry out
your work here, and use the back of the paper, if needed. Answer all questions in complete sentences that fully justify and explain
your solution.

The city of Southernville has many places to purchase a pizza. Jeremy decides to create a website to provide residents with informa-
tion that may help them decide where to purchase their pizza. The following data provide the cost of a cheese pizza, a pepperoni
pizza, a large pizza with five toppings, the diameter of a large pizza, and the number of slices on a large pizza.

Pizza No. of Slices in Diameter of Large Cost of Large Cost of Large Cost of Large Pizza with
Restaurant Large Pizza Pizza (in.) Cheese Pizza ($) Pepperoni Pizza ($) 5 Toppings ($)
Pizza Hut™ 8 14 10.00 10.00 10.00
Papa Johns® 8 14 8.99 9.99 12.99
Domino’s® 8 14 9.99 7.99 15.06
Five Star 8 14 8.99 10.49 12.99
Leonardo’s 8 14 8.75 10.95 16.50
Hungry Howie’s® 8 14 10.55 12.95 16.05
Pizza Vito 8 14 10.95 12.70 19.95

1. C
 reate a data representation that Jeremy might display on his website to help customers decide on which pizza to buy from a
restaurant.

2. W
 rite a letter describing the best value for a pizza that your family might be interested in purchasing. Write in a way that a sixth-
grade student might understand.

Check your work with one other person. If he or she has written something different, write it in pen near your answer because we will
discuss these items later.

an MEA. It also implies what instruc-
tion would involve when modeling is
an instructional goal.
The MEA shown in figure 1,
called Departing on Time, asks stu-
dents to rank airlines on the basis of
their departure time. The first feature
of MEAs is an expectation that prob-
lem solvers should develop an initial
model that draws on some of the data.
This initial model identifies important
quantities and characterizes possible
relations between them. For example,
one model might be a bar graph
displaying the largest and smallest
amount of delay for each airline.
A second feature of MEAs is that
there are several viable models. This
example activity could be solved us-
ing models that deal with different
features within the data. Each model
highlights unique mathematical ele-
ments, operations, or relationships.
Students can use these distinct models
to better examine mathematical
relationships within the problem. For
example, one student’s model might
capture each airline’s average number
of minutes late and the statistical
range of number of minutes late.
A third feature of MEAs is that
students are expected to translate
between mathematical representations
(e.g., a graph and an equation, text
and a diagram, as well as a table and
a graph) to draw conclusions. Solving
this activity requires working fluently
with a table listing information,
sentences describing the problem,
and models ranking the airlines.
A fourth feature of MEAs is that
the initial model can be improved so
that it effectively captures more of the
mathematical nuances within the prob-
lem’s situation. This feature encourages
individuals to re-engage in model-
ing with mathematics and determine
whether the model is sufficient. In this
problem, students might initially draw
a bar graph, with the mathematical
average and range for each airline, and
later refine the average after exclud-
ing any outliers within the data set.
Teachers can press this issue by asking
students whether the model could be
better. Reexamining and improving
the model to fully characterize a

264 Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School ● Vol. 18, No. 5, December 2012/January 2013

This content downloaded on Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:31:28 PM

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problem’s situation captures the essence data analysis (Bostic 2011). A goal of
of modeling and is highlighted in this activity was for students to create
instruction using MEAs. accurate models of a real-life data set
A fifth feature found in all MEAs to help someone choose a pizza. First,
is that problem solvers are expected the teacher examined the mathemat-

HIDESY/ ISTOCKPHOTO
to communicate their results using ics Content Standards. He chose one
everyday language. Describing the Standard and unpacked what students
process of ranking the airlines pushes were expected to learn during a lesson
students to explain their thinking and aligned with that Standard.
further reflect on their models. The He then chatted with students
solution for this MEA includes two about their interests and their experi-
components: an accurate model and a ences to learn about contexts that a picture of three pizzas and asked
description of the modeling process. they perceived to be realistic. Students students to translate that verbal state-
were familiar with renting movies ment into a ratio and unit rate using
cReating Model-eliciting online, attending theme parks, buying symbolic representations (Larson and
actiVities pizza at local restaurants, analyzing Boswell 2010, p. 198). Using pizza as
Current textbook materials may U.S. weather patterns, and following a realistic and relevant context for the
not provide problems that fit the well-known athletes (such as Tim sixth graders, the teacher set out to
criteria of MEAs, but teachers can Tebow). With these contexts in mind, modify this exercise and turn it into
alter textbook problems so that they the teacher examined the textbook an MEA.
become MEAs. The Pizza problem (Larson and Boswell 2010) for a The teacher added more informa-
in figure 2 was developed for sixth- context and problem that could be tion to the original task, thus mak-
grade students who were learning adapted into an MEA. One task read, ing it more complex and realistic.
about ratios, rates, proportions, and “You pay $27 for 3 pizzas.” It included A table expressed different types of

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Vol. 18, No. 5, December 2012/January 2013 ● MatheMatics teaching in the Middle school 265

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pizzas (e.g., cheese only, pepperoni,
and any five toppings) as well as local
restaurants’ dimensions and prices
for a large pizza. Next, the teacher
supplemented the original task with
additional questions that required
higher-level reasoning. For instance,
students needed to find the smallest
ratio describing the cost of one slice
of cheese pizza and to think about
appropriate ways to describe the data
set (i.e., what is the average value for
a large pepperoni pizza?). With these
changes, students were expected to
draw on their feelings about pizza
from their restaurant experiences, as
well as use mathematical reasoning to
answer the question.
After students created their initial
models, they both reflected on and re-
fined them. The teacher then pushed
students to refine their initial models
during the problem-solving phase.
After students expressed confidence
with their models, they presented
both models and solutions to the
whole class. Students later shared
their knowledge with family and
friends. The instructional tips provid-
ed in the next section may help you
design and implement MEAs and
focus instruction on modeling while
teaching through problem solving.
IDEAS FOR IMPLEMENTING
MODEL-ELICITING ACTIVITIES
Implementing an MEA during
instruction is best when students are
prepared to explore a task over mul-
tiple class periods and know how to
work together. Here are some guide-
lines and tips:
• Plan for at least two forty-five-
minute class periods. Try not to
rush students’ thinking. Allow time
for students to develop and revise
their models.
• Establish and maintain appropriate
expectations for working collab-
oratively while problem solving.
266 Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School
This content downloaded on Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:31:28 PM
For example, this expectation was
stated in the sixth-grade classroom
where students worked on the
Pizza problem: “If we disagree with
someone, we will ask a question
about his or her idea and describe
why we disagree” (Bostic 2011).
• Use a variation of the think-pair-
share strategy. Most instructional
time will be devoted to working in
pairs or small groups.
• Focus questions on students’ mod-
els rather than on the solution. Did
the student account for every factor
within the problem’s situation?
How would the model change if
some information in the MEA was
deleted or added?
Sources of Model-Eliciting
Activities
Both NCTM and CCSSM have ad-
vocated the positive benefits of teach-
ing mathematics through problem
solving. Teachers should offer tasks
that support teaching mathematics
through problem-solving contexts.
Numerous MEAs are available online,
such as Pedagogy in Action at
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/
mea/examples.html. Another example
is Case Studies for Kids, available
at https://engineering.purdue.edu/
ENE/Research/SGMM/CASE
STUDIESKIDSWEB/index.htm.
Teachers can also transform textbook
tasks into open, complex, and realistic
word problems that support learning
mathematics through problem-solving
contexts. Instruction using MEAs
will support students to model with
mathematics and use their knowledge
to solve real-world problems.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bostic, Jonathan. 2011. “The Effects
of Teaching Mathematics through
Problem-Solving Contexts on Sixth-
Grade Students’ Problem-Solving
Performance and Representation Use.”
PhD diss., University of Florida.
● Vol. 18, No. 5, December 2012/January 2013
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Common Core State Standards Initiative
(CCSSI). 2010. Common Core State
Standards for Mathematics. Washing-
ton, DC: National Governors Associa-
tion Center for Best Practices and the
Council of Chief State School Officers.
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/
CCSSI_Math%20Standards.pdf.
Grischenko, Svetlana. 2009. “A Com-
parative Analysis of Word Problems
in Selected United States and Russian
First-Grade Textbooks.” PhD diss.,
University of California–Santa Barbara.
Larson, Ron, and Laurie Boswell. 2010.
Big Ideas: Math 6. Erie, PA: Big Ideas
Learning.
National Council of Teachers of Math-
ematics (NCTM). 2000. Principles
and Standards for School Mathematics.
Reston, VA: NCTM.
“On Time Arrival.” 2012. Case Studies for
Kids. https://engineering.purdue.edu/
ENE/Research/SGMM/CASE
STUDIESKIDSWEB/ontimearrival
.htm.
Science Education Research Center.
“Ped­agogy in Action.” http://serc
.carleton.edu/sp/library/mea/
examples.html.
Schroeder, Thomas, and Frank Lester Jr.
1989. “Developing Understanding in
Mathematics via Problem Solving.” In
New Directions for Elementary School
Mathematics, edited by Paul Trafton, pp.
31–42. Reston, VA: National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics.
Jonathan D. Bostic,
bosticj@bgsu.edu, is an
assistant professor of
mathematics education
at Bowling Green State
University, Bowling Green, Ohio. He is
interested in promoting problem solv-
ing and multiple strategy use through
mathematics instruction and enjoys giving
professional development presentations
focusing on the Standards for Mathemati-
cal Practice. He is especially grateful to
Debra Johanning for her insightful and
encouraging feedback.