Democratic Practices as Part of Mathematical Modeling in Schools

We focus on how democratic practices occur during the modeling activity “The Candy Bag of Dreams.” With democratic practices, we refer to approaches supporting inclusivity and active participation aimed at empowering students. We investigated one group of preservice teachers implementing an optimizing modeling activity during practicum in two fifth-grade classes, where students modeled their dream candy bags. Students engaged in mathematical modeling where mathematics was embedded in their social context, and they negotiated meanings and developed perspectives. Through this, they experienced lived democracy by actively engaging in and through democratic practices. We found democratic practices such as students inviting peers to negotiate, showing consideration for peers, respecting different opinions, standing up and arguing for own interests, constraining self-interest, and discussing maximum fairness. They exercised their rights and responsibilities as learners and, by doing so, became empowered. The preservice teachers provided room for students’ dialogues, discussions, and spaces for disagreement, a mathematics classroom for and as democracy. Implications of this study suggest that mathematical modeling activities can offer fruitful grounds for empowering students through their lived democracy. However, careful considerations should be made to ensure students’ democratic practices during their group work.