RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
How do Calculus Instructors Frame Tasks for Introducing Derivatives Symbolically? Identifying Calculus-Specific Instructional Situations
Page: 135
In this study, I describe how seven U.S. college calculus instructors framed instructional tasks for introducing derivatives symbolically to students. During one-on-one interviews, the instructors were presented with before and after student conceptions and were asked to propose tasks for introducing derivatives symbolically using the limit definition of derivative, both at a point and as a function. The instructors’ task framings reveal the types of mathematical problems students are expected to work on with respect to the content at stake: symbolic definitions of derivatives. Although the instructors heavily relied on calculating situations to introduce derivatives symbolically, some also used graphing, exploring, installing, and proving situations, which shows the high variability of task framing in calculus even when student conceptions before and after working on the tasks are predetermined.