Abstract:

This study aimed to understand the mathematical approaches that prospective teachers produced individually and as a group during their mathematical modeling experience, and the interactions between these approaches. For this purpose, the case study method was adopted. Forty prospective middle school mathematics teachers participated in the study. The prospective teachers first worked individually and then in groups of four on a mathematical modeling activity. The data were obtained through written individual solutions for the modeling problem, group solutions, audio recordings of the group work process, and reflective reports after the group work. In data analysis, mathematical solutions produced individually and as a group were considered as two separate cases and comparative analyzes were made. The results regarding the individual solution approaches produced for the modeling problem indicated that the prospective teachers, when considering a modeling activity individually, resorted to the classical ways that came to their minds geometrically, instead of examining the given situation in a real-world context. However, the individual solutions of the prospective teachers became different when they worked with the group. In particular, the variation in the solution approaches of the individuals in the group or the existence of a more reasonable solution caused a change of opinion in all group members together with the final decision of the group.

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