PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Gains from the incorporation of an approximation framework into calclulus instruction
Page: 720
We report on a research-based effort to make calculus conceptually accessible to more students while simultaneously increasing the coherence, rigor, and applicability of the content learned in the courses. Recent studies have indicated that an approximation and error analysis approach to curriculum and instructional design can support a productive and coherent conceptual foundation for students’ reasoning about concepts defined in terms of limit. In this study we explore the affects of such an approach to curriculum design systematically implemented in the form of 30 labs spread throughout the first two semesters of calculus. Data taken from pre-tests at the beginning of Calculus 1 and posttests near the end of Calculus 2 indicate conceptual gains above the gains previously observed from students taught without approximation curriculum.