Page 176 - Mathematics GRADE 9, DE-STREAMED (MTH1W)

Instructional Tips
Teachers can:
• facilitate conversations with students to discuss how different models can be created to answer their question of interest based on their assumptions;
• engage students in discussions about the features, strengths, and limitations of various mathematical models;
• support students in reflecting on the reasonableness of the model they have created to answer their question and whether they need to revise the model to better reflect the assumptions they have made;
• draw students’ attention to the limitations of a model in predicting values beyond the range of the data collected, as well as limitations due to any biases in the data collection;
• support students in creating a report (e.g., infographic, presentation, another format of the student’s choosing) that provides all the necessary information to answer their question of interest, including their mathematical models, ensuring that enough detail is given to inform possible decisions.
Note
Expectations D2.2 through D2.5 highlight the process of mathematical modelling and are therefore interconnected; they should be considered as a whole, and this should be reflected during instruction.
Teacher Prompts
• Does your model help you to answer your question? Did you need to revise the model? Why?
• Does your model allow you to make predictions?
• What predictions can be made based on the model?
• What are the limits of the model?
Sample Tasks
Have students share the strengths and limitations of their model and explain how the model helped them answer their question and make predictions. For instance, they might present their results as a report or presentation to convince a school board or school bus company that their plan addresses a bus-stop problem in the most efficient and economical way and include their suggestions for the placement of bus stops using the data displays that they created in D2.4. Have other students in the class act as the school board or bus company officials to ask questions about the model to see if the model needs to be refined.
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