Resumen

Internationally, mathematical modeling is garnering more interest because of the many benefits of this approach. There are still many students though that have not had any experience with mathematical modeling. Previous research has shown that students can have difficulties with their first experience with mathematical modeling. This study used the prior research to structure effectively an implementation method to enable middle school students to be successful in their first experience with mathematical modeling. It was ensured that students understood the problem context, group work skills were discussed, cooperative learning was used, and all groups were able to share their work with the whole class. A mathematical modeling activity that had been previously been implemented with quality results was also used. Implications for researchers and teachers are discussed to help students be successful in their first modeling experience.