Teaching mathematical thinking

This is a special module for you as mathematics teachers.

Here is the introductory lecture for this module. Right now it is not in streamed format, so I suggest that you use a good internet connection and first download the file of about 203 MB.

There will be no physical introductory lecture for this module (the physical lecture will be about dynamic models, which you have already done in week 4). However, there will be a physical follow-up lecture for this module, to be announced later.

If you have questions about this module you can write to me (Dag Wedelin). I will not be in Gothenburg until Thursday but I am available via mail. Also, if you try to solve specific problems in the Applied mathematical thinking course and want some supervision on these problems, you can go to the supervision sessions for this course and talk to Jean Baptiste Jolly.

(APPLIED MATHEMATICAL THINKING)

The Applied mathematical thinking course is based on the same philosophy as this course. However, it is more basic since some students will only have a secondary school math background, and the course is intended as a transition course to help them understand mathematics better. It is also broader in the sense that it not just focuses on mathematical modelling and problem solving, but also on mathematical reasoning (which you are already assumed to be well familiar with).

We ask you to take a close look at this course, from some different perspectives:

• Browse the course and try to understand how it works - its structure and main themes.
• Study the problems - could some of them be used in secondary school? If you like you are welcome to try to solve some of them - or ask us and we will tell you about their solutions!
• Especially look at the "reasoning" parts which are not so prominent in your course.
• Anything else that catches your attention?

Find your own way to document your activities. You are not expected to write a long essay - just summarize your impressions in some simple way.

(SOME PAPERS)

Carefully read the following paper relating to the Mathematical Modelling and Problem Solving course:

• Teaching mathematical modelling and problem solving

You are also asked to have a look at the following two papers:

• Investigating and developing engineering students' modelling and problem solving skills

• Principles for designing small realistic problems

Summarize your impressions of the papers.

(SELF-CHECK)

• Have you answered all questions to the best of your ability?
• Is all the required information on the front page, is the file name correct etc.?
• Anything else you can easily check? (details, terminology, arguments, clearly stated answers etc.?)