Modeling in Mathematics and History As Teaching and Learning Approaches To Pandemics | iHSES

Paper Detail

Title

Modeling in Mathematics and History As Teaching and Learning Approaches To Pandemics

Authors

Dr. Maria Papadopoulou, University Savoie-Mont Blanc, France
Res. Asst. Panagiota Argyri, University of Athens, Greece
Assist. Prof. Dr. Zacharoula Smyrnaiou, University of Athens, Greece

Abstract

The integration of innovative interdisciplinary approaches to the Κ-12 Curriculum aims to deepen students’ knowledge and help them develop transversal skills. Applying an interdisciplinary lens, with a focus on pandemics, can help shape attitudes by means of inculcating the values of responsible global citizenship, and a high sense of personal and social responsibility. In the midst of the current lock-down due to Covid-19, a teaching approach to pandemics is presented, as an interdisciplinary connection between history and mathematics, based on the methodology of modeling in mathematics and the humanities. The main research questions posed: a) can modeling, as analyzed in the scientific literature, be used to interpret pandemics, e.g. in the case of the ‘plague of Athens’ (430 B.C.), as analyzed in the primary sources? b) Can the mathematical tools of statistical analysis be used to understand prevention measures through the centuries? Taking a longue durée perspective on history, students were asked to work on additional cases of pandemics across time and space, mobilizing both their mathematical and historical knowledge: process numerical data from primary sources, study maps, combine and compare elements of the past and the present using mathematical epidemiological models and real numerical data to study and predict the spread of infectious diseases. This paper presents the assessment of the effectiveness of this approach, conducted by means of closed and open questionnaires, administered in two phases (pre- and post-teaching) to a sample of 40 students aged 16-17 years. The results highlight statistics as a key tool for understanding real-world situations, and record the strengthening of students’ knowledge in history, the raising of their critical thinking skills, as well as their enhanced ability to tackle real-world problems and understand responsible decision-making processes. Finally, the paper suggests that such good practices can prepare students for the complexity of globalized knowledge.

 Keywords

modeling, history, pandemics, mathematics, interdisciplinarity  

Citation

Papadopoulou, M., Argyri, P. & Smyrnaiou, Z. (2020). Modeling in Mathematics and History As Teaching and Learning Approaches To Pandemics. In R. Thripp & I. Sahin (Eds.), Proceedings of iHSES 2020--International Conference on Humanities, Social and Education Sciences (pp. 99-103). Monument, CO, USA: ISTES Organization. Retrieved 29 March 2024 from www.2020.ihses.net/proceedings/2/.

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