Mathematics
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aas...20914502w&link_type=abstract
2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical Society Meeting 209, #145.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society,
Mathematics
Scientific paper
The science curricula start using fairly sophisticated mathematics concepts in middle school. A few examples of mathematical representations that are typically found in middle school textbooks include variables and algebraic representations such as V=IR and density=m/v, integers to represent different directions of motion, acceleration etc., exponential population growth and half-life, vectors to represent force, and the concept of zero for electrical neutrality. Rather than getting the opportunity to learn mathematical reasoning and methods in context, the students are instructed to memorize equations and plug in some numbers, almost like playing the children’s game “MadLibs”1.
In this talk I will show some examples from middle school curricula that correlate to the pervasive difficulty students have at the college level of representing words using equations, performing simple algebra to solve for an unknown quantity, and understanding the use of positive and negative signs in 1-d (and, thus, vectors in 2-d). I propose a hypothesis that college students’ difficulty in mathematical representations are related to first experiences of the use of equations in science, and grade-appropriate math methods taught in the context of the first physical science courses will produce better reasoning skills at the college level.
1 MadLibs is copyrighted by Penguin Putnam Inc. A story is pre-written but is missing a few words. With no knowledge of the story itself, a partner is asked for some nouns, verbs etc. that get plugged into the story. The story is then read aloud with the words plugged in to a humorous end.
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