PROCEEDINGS OF THE 19TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2016
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Clearing the way for mindset changed through formative assessment
Page: 691
One of the reasons for the exodus in STEM majors is the introductory calculus curriculum. Although there is evidence that curricula like CLEAR calculus promoted significant gains in students’ growth mindset, it is unclear how this curriculum promotes mindset changes. The purpose of this case study was to investigate which features of CLEAR Calculus promoted positive changes in students’ mindsets. After administering the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale to assess students’ initial mindset in one section of calculus, four students were selected for interviews. Although participants were selected for maximal variation in their mindset at the beginning of the course, there were a lot of similar themes in their interviews. Students cited that CLEAR Calculus curriculum challenges them in ways that facilitates deeper comprehensive learning than that of a traditional calculus course.