Ethnomodeling: Extending Mathematical Modeling Research in Teacher Education

ABSTRACT This article presents a synthesis of existing literature on ethnomodeling and the ways in which it extends mathematical modeling research in mathematics teacher education. We also call on the field to consider ways to connect and value culture and content in teaching mathematics. There have been increasing calls for integration of a culturally responsive mathematics curriculum. Additionally, mathematics teacher educators and researchers have also emphasized the critical role of deep and meaningful mathematical content within curricular efforts that focus on culture and student identity. In this paper, we present how ethnomodeling connects to and extends current literature to apply mathematical modeling to shift toward culturally relevant and sustaining teaching practices while maintaining a focus on deep and meaningful mathematical content. We start by describing the various existing calls, present a synthesis of the literature supporting the components of ethnomodeling, and conclude by proposing a new call to action for the field to deepen existing efforts and plan for actionable steps for using an ethnomodeling approach to impact teacher education programs.