Best practices for teaching the concept of the derivative: Lessons from experienced calculus instructors

Thembinkosi Peter Mkhatshwa

doi:10.29333/ejmste/14380

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Thembinkosi Peter Mkhatshwa ¹ ^*

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¹ Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Miami University, Middletown, OH, USA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Much research has reported on difficulties exhibited by students when working with the concept of the derivative in first-semester university calculus. In an effort to generate and share a resource on effective instructional practices related to the teaching of the concept of the derivative, a 12-item questionnaire was administered to experienced calculus instructors in the United States. Most of the 10 experts who participated in this study considered providing ample examples and practice problems, using graphing utilities such as Desmos and GeoGebra, and employing problem solving strategies in the teaching of the concept of the derivative to be effective in supporting students learn about the concept of the derivative, among other things. These experts further remarked on representations of the concept of the derivative and real-world contexts they typically use in their teaching of the concept, in addition to providing rationales for the choice of real-world contexts they typically use in their teaching of the concept. Recommendations for instruction are included.

Keywords

calculus
derivatives
technology
teaching strategies

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 20, Issue 4, April 2024, Article No: em2426

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/14380

Publication date: 01 Apr 2024

Online publication date: 22 Mar 2024

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APA

Mkhatshwa, T. P. (2024). Best practices for teaching the concept of the derivative: Lessons from experienced calculus instructors. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 20(4), em2426. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/14380

Vancouver

Mkhatshwa TP. Best practices for teaching the concept of the derivative: Lessons from experienced calculus instructors. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2024;20(4):em2426. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/14380

AMA

Mkhatshwa TP. Best practices for teaching the concept of the derivative: Lessons from experienced calculus instructors. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2024;20(4), em2426. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/14380

Chicago

Mkhatshwa, Thembinkosi Peter. "Best practices for teaching the concept of the derivative: Lessons from experienced calculus instructors". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2024 20 no. 4 (2024): em2426. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/14380

Harvard

Mkhatshwa, T. P. (2024). Best practices for teaching the concept of the derivative: Lessons from experienced calculus instructors. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 20(4), em2426. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/14380

MLA

Mkhatshwa, Thembinkosi Peter "Best practices for teaching the concept of the derivative: Lessons from experienced calculus instructors". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 20, no. 4, 2024, em2426. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/14380