Mathematical Modeling Lessons

Individual data stories connected to a country’s population data by age provide an insight of the wider challenges of United States, Kenya, and Japan currently and in the future.

Mathematics teachers of high-school and college students are often asked what important areas of mathematics students should learn. Generally, the discussion follows with an identification of specific skills or standards. This module addresses several skills and standards identified in the Overview of the Module, but the primary answer to important mathematics is to describe a process of solving problems. This module is not solely about developing specific skills or standards; this module is about skills or standards working together to answer important questions. The process in which these components work together uses a tool, a modeling continuum, to evaluate and analyze the process of modeling based on students’ work.

Reflections from a teacher involved in reviewing this module include the following comments:

“This module was one of my first introductions to the population pyramid graphs that are featured in People Count. I was, and continue to be, astounded by the beautiful simplicity of the graphs, and how such a simple graph can tell such a complex story. The module introduced me to a new way of thinking about the visualization and analysis of data.”

“Too often, unfortunately, what is presented as “mathematical modeling” in many textbooks and curricula is either low on actual mathematics, or low on real-world connections. People Count is a great example of real, important data analysis that involves a high amount of mathematical rigor. Throughout the book, the knowledge and skills required by students builds on their experience in each successive unit, and each unit is another piece in the story of real people identified through their stories. The narratives present the mathematics as a student-centered story to be explored rather than a teacher-centered set of problems to be completed.”