Teacher Strategic Interventions to Support Students in Constructing the Model of the Situation in a Modelling Task

The difficulties that modelling tasks pose to students can be explained by the cognitive complexity of these tasks, as they require a diverse range of mathematical and extra-mathematical competencies. However, despite the demands placed on students, mathematical modelling skills can be effectively promoted if the teacher’s actions meet quality criteria, maintaining a balance between teacher orientation and student independence. The present study focuses on how teachers’ interventions influence students’ work in the construction of the “situation model” and the “real model” pointed out as a crucial factor in the students’ attainment in solving modelling tasks, namely by characterizing the interventions of the teacher that effectively responded to the difficulties of students but maintained the independence of their work.