STEM: Modeling Functions and Linear Relations for Interdisciplinary Understanding

Leaders: Christel Bruno (STEM specialist), Tracy Ryan (Middle School Math Specialist), and Kelli Warble (Math and Physics Modeling Workshop Leader)

This workshop will meet 8:00 am-3:30 pm daily with a 1 hour lunch break for a total of 30 professional development hours. Parking passes will be available. (Modeling Workshops in physics and chemistry will be occurring simultaneously at the same site, as will the AMTA Summer Conference!)

The benefit of understanding functional relationships between quantities crosses grade levels and content areas, and is useful in areas as diverse as describing school demographics to modeling physical systems. Unfortunately, introduction of the "function" concept is often delayed to an abstract treatment in later grades that is obscured by mathematical formalism.

During this workshop we will share activities to aid students in understanding mathematical functions as relationships between two quantities. Concrete, real-world samples of related quantities from a variety of functional types (beyond merely linear) will be represented using data tables, graphs, words, and ultimately formulas. Teachers will use science and engineering practices by collecting data through investigations and analyzing this data to formulate arguments based on evidence about physical science, which will help interpret the world around them. Activities shared will begin with the foundational development of functions as relationships (middle school grades) and span into increasingly sophisticated covariational reasoning necessary in STEM fields through high school and college.

What is Modeling Instruction? Watch this video or learn more about Modeling Instruction at https://www.modelinginstruction.org/

This workshop will meet Monday-Thursday for a total of 30 hours of professional development. Participants in this workshop will receive a one-year membership to the American Modeling Teachers Association.