Resumen

We present the results of a research project which deals with a qualitative case study in the field of mathematical modeling. The study investigates the role of "real" life modeling situations of the learner in the construction of mathematical knowledge at school. The study of episodes, interviews, questionnaires and direct observations allowed analysis on how teachers describe their teaching performance when approaching the content of school mathematics. However, the most important aspect was to be able to detect the necessity of a "sense of reality", which is characterized in this paper. The development of this research project shows that it is still necessary to develop a sense of reality as a tool to facilitate interaction between the socio-cultural context and school mathematics, all through modeling.