I hope Mathematical Models will provide you with some of the resources needed to provide your students with a mathematics course they will find interesting and one that will prove useful. If students are not motivated to study mathematics further, I hope they will have experienced some of the power mathematics provides the problem solver. The content should provide the foundation for further study in the mathematics classroom or in the workplace. The AMATYC document Crossroads in Mathematics, Standards for Introductory College Mathematics Before Calculus calls for all students to experience the power of mathematics through a college-level mathematical experience. It also calls for classrooms to be student-centered and for learning to be an active experience. The material in this text should provide the resources to allow you to follow those guidelines. The text emphasizes the need to be able to examine a verbal problem symbolically, numerically or graphically. It often refers to the spreadsheet as an appropriate tool for these investigations. Students taking this class who own graphing calculators should be encouraged to use them. Graphing calculators also have the ability to investigate functions numerically and graphically but they are not as prevalent in the workplace. Since the spreadsheet will likely be used in other classes the student will take and in the workplace, the spreadsheet was chosen as the technology of choice for this course. The applications in the text should be meaningful and easily extended for further study. The sections are written in the context of an application and often include other activities which can be worked on collaboratively. A goal of this text is not to provide enough examples so that the student can work ten more like them, but rather provide examples which promote discussion and thought and which provide a positive learning experience which can be transferred to other problem solving opportunities. Chapter One provides a clear indication that this course is going to be different. There are a number of ways you might coach the students through this chapter. I think there are several parts that all students should experience (A, B, E, J, & K). Other parts could be assigned to groups or individually. This chapter provides students opportunities to review basic skills and an initial look at several important ideas. All in all, most students should find this mathematics course different from any they have taken before. Finally, I hope you will use the portfolio outline suggested. I have found that students willingly share information with you to make this class a better experience for you and for them. Rob Kimball

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