Comparing pre-service teachers' errors in individual and group resolutions of modelling tasks involving estimations

Overview & Synopsis

Real-context estimation problems are useful for introducing modelling in primary school classrooms, although teachers have difficulties associated with the modelling process and also with measurement and estimation senses that may hinder their implementation. Based on a specific categorization, this work analyses the errors of N=224 pre-service teachers when they draw up individual resolution plans for a sequence of modelling tasks involving estimations, and when they subsequently solve the same sequence in groups and on-site. Individual and group resolutions are compared with two objectives: the first is to determine whether working at the problem site and in groups helps to reduce the number of errors; the second is to find out whether the types of errors that are made are different. This would help to efficiently use learning from errors to improve initial teacher training in solving modelling problems.