Lessons Learned from Research on Fermi Problems and Mathematical Modelling: Theoretical and Practical Implications for School STEM Education

This chapter aims to demonstrate how adopting a mathematics education research perspective on Fermi problemsFermi problems can contribute to and enhance the practice and understanding of STEM educationSTEM education. To achieve this, we first discuss mathematical modellingMathematical modelling from a mathematics education perspective and then briefly elaborate on modellingModelling as discussed in STEM educationSTEM education. Our attention is then directed towards the inherent coupling of Fermi problemsFermi problems to mathematical activities and contents of the mathematical curriculum, in particular, estimates, estimation and mathematical modellingMathematical modelling in mathematics education research. We present a framework for connecting recent advances in the research on Fermi problemsFermi problems to teaching and learning in STEM educationSTEM education and discuss the example of The tin foil boat challenge.