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MS Thesis Defense: Mr. Amare Mebrahtu

January 16 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Exploring the Levels of Mathematical Modeling Prompts in the Illustrative Mathematics Algebra I and Geometry Curricula

Amare Mebrahtu
Graduate Student
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

This event will take place virtually over Teams on Friday, January 16th from 3:00pm–4:30pm.

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics highlight the importance of mathematical modeling in enhancing students’ problem-solving abilities and critical thinking in mathematics. To this end, incorporating the various characteristics and levels of modeling problems is pivotal to designing and implementing mathematical modeling for students. This talk will explore the levels of mathematical modeling in the Illustrative Mathematics (IM) Algebra I and Geometry curricula.

Drawing on the California Framework for Mathematical Modeling, we will classify selected mathematical modeling problems in IM using five core characteristics: problem context, questions provided, student autonomy, modeling process, and iteration. The findings reveal that most IM modeling prompts align with intermediate levels in the framework, balancing structured guidance with opportunities for student-driven decision-making and iterative refinement.

Advisor:
Prof. Kevin McLeod

Committee Members:
Prof. Suzanne Boyd
Prof. Jeb F Willenbring

Details