PROCEEDINGS OF THE 15TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2012
Portland, Oregon
The Effectiveness of Local Linearity as a Cognitive Root for the Derivative in a Redesigned First-Semester Calculus Course
Page: 2-155
In this report we investigate an innovative, reorganized curriculum for first-semester calculus which emphasizes local linearity and uses it as the fundamental principle on which the rest of the curriculum is based. Technology and visualization are used as tools for guided discovery of local linearity and other aspects of calculus. How students used local linearity as a cognitive root for the derivative will be discussed. Student learning outcomes will also be presented, with some examples of student work demonstrating the results of the approach.