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In this paper, we identify various forms of geometric work carried out by student teachers who were asked to perform a geometric task for the estimation of a land area. The theory of Mathematical Working Spaces is used to analyze and characterize the work produced. This study provides evidence that students developed forms of geometric work that are compliant with at least two distinct geometric paradigms, one characterized by the utilization of measuring and drawing tools, and the other by a property-based discourse on proof. Significantly, a sizable number of students also developed work forms that do not correspond to any geometrical paradigm. A broader purpose of this paper is to highlight three criteria born by the theory and shown to be useful for the description and evaluation of geometric work: compliance, completeness, and correctness.

This chapter contains an overview of the main points of the theory of MWS in relation to frequently asked questions. The aim is to form the basis of an online glossary of the theory, to be completed according to the contributions of researchers. Main purpose of the theory:Describing, understanding and (trans)forming mathematical work in a school context.

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Background: The Mathematical Working Spaces (MWS) theoretical framework has developed a growing interest in how mathematical modelling is recognised, analysed, and articulated from its theoretical and empirical scopes. Given the articulations identified in the literature, it is interesting to determine whether new networks with the MWS provide powerful strategies for analysing mathematical modelling task resolution. Objective: to characterise the modelling activity from the network composed by the Blomhøj modelling cycle and the MWS in engineering students. Design: This work is a case study with a qualitative approach, which analyses the resolution of a modelling task through the proposed network. Setting and participants: The experimentation was carried out in an integral calculus course for a computer civil engineering career at a Chilean university. Modelling practices are not usual in this second-year subject, although enhancing their use in professional education is necessary. Data collection and analysis: We collected the written records of the students, selecting one to perform the in-depth analysis due to its high representativeness and clarity, as evidenced in the documents. Three steps were followed to characterise the modelling activity in the written record: description, analysis, and interpretation. Results: The Blomhøj modelling cycle might present connections with the MWS at the formulation of the problem and not only at the systematisation, which is a novelty in this field of research. Conclusions: A novel approach with which to develop the network between the MWS and modelling emerges, emphasising the investigation of mathematical problems using the student’s reality in higher education.