Abstract
In the Netherlands modelling is integrated into the mathematics curriculum. This chapter describes a study of modelling characteristics in recent mathematics examination papers. Results show that the tasks convey the message that mathematics can be found in unexpected situations. In many tasks a situation and a ready-made model are given and students are asked to work with the model. For mathematising, two design principles were: to finalise the parameters of a given model, and to reconstruct a given mathematical model from verbal descriptions and diagrams of a situation. These formats were coined as mechanistic and reproductive mathematising respectively. These formats have been introduced to cater for test reliability at the expense of test validity.
This work was completed when I was on the staff of Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands
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Vos, P. (2011). Modelling and task formats: Do we include mechanistic, reproductive modelling into modelling? Paper presented at 7th Conference on European Research in Mathematics Education. University of Rzeszów.
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Vos, P. (2013). Assessment of Modelling in Mathematics Examination Papers: Ready-Made Models and Reproductive Mathematising. In: Stillman, G., Kaiser, G., Blum, W., Brown, J. (eds) Teaching Mathematical Modelling: Connecting to Research and Practice. International Perspectives on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematical Modelling. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6540-5_41
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