Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

My final mathematics course was integral calculus, and no, I did not do well (I passed, but I never felt comfortable with it). The rest of mathematics remains something I'll 'get back to' one day (I did continue much further in formal logic, so I imagine I could circle around and get my math). So I'm not surprised that calculus is where the most math students founder. According to this item, "the courseware uses more than 100,000 assessment items to pinpoint skills gaps and intervenes with instruction and interactive activities as soon as the student needs them." But I'm not sure the issue with calculus is skills gaps. I think there's a conceptual leap to be taken. Calculus defies logic and reason, or at least, everything you learned about logic and reason up to that point. You have to abandon reality and embrace a world of magical infinitesimals in a way that would make Zeno blanche. Learning 'skills' doesn't cut it.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Mar 28, 2024 10:43 a.m.

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