The roles preservice teachers adopt in modelling-related problem posing

Posing problems that are based on given real-world situations is important for teaching mathematical modelling. However, little is known about the posing process and the corresponding roles that teachers play. To help fill this gap, the current study examined the roles that preservice teachers adopt when they pose problems based on given real-world situations. We analyzed data from seven preservice teachers who posed problems based on a given real-world situation and identified three different roles preservice teachers tend to adopt when they pose a problem: Protagonist, teacher, and problem solver. Further, we describe the domains that are addressed in these roles and affect teachers’ decision-making when posing problems. Implications for how to teach (preservice) teachers to pose real-world problems are discussed.