Using Modeling to Reinforce Non-Mathematical Skills Part 3

As instructors of mathematics, we cannot overlook the diverse array of students that pass through our classrooms. Many of our students end up pursuing careers in which the topics we present have only a marginal or tangential impact. Rather than emphasize the material itself, we have the opportunity to focus our students' attention on solving complex problems through a mathematical modeling lens. In fact, teaching the modeling process encourages students to develop and practice behaviors that transcend any single discipline, embody intelligent and successful individuals, and are sought by a wide range of employers. These behaviors, which are also called Habits of Mind, are characteristics exhibited by people when behaving intelligently (Costa and Kallick, 2008), and we have the unique opportunity to train our students in these attributes through the critical thinking and problem solving associated with quantitative reasoning. We aim to explore these Habits of Mind and how they can be taught through a curriculum with a mathematical modeling focus.