The central goals of most introductory linear algebra courses are to develop students' proficiency with matrix techniques, to promote their understanding of key concepts, and to increase their ability to make connections between concepts. In this article, we present an innovative method using adjacency matrices to analyze students' interpretation…

One of the earlier, more challenging concepts in linear algebra at university is that of basis. Students are often taught procedurally how to find a basis for a subspace using matrix manipulation, but may struggle with understanding the construct of basis, making further progress harder. We believe one reason for this is because students have…

Outcomes, processes, and emerging questions associated with using matrix structures as both a teaching strategy used by the instructor and a cognitive learning strategy used by cooperative groups of students were studied. In analyzing these concept learning strategies, an effort was made to triangulate sources of data and take into account aspects…

Inquiry techniques are described in which students investigate geographic phenomena in microcosm. The objective of this strategy is to enable students to examine geographic concepts and generalizations on a level which they can easily understand. Specifically, strategies for investigating and analyzing self-contained buildings and planned…

Within a setting of dynamic rather than static knowledge, the academic structuring of disciplines begins to lose meaning. Interdisciplinary courses are one result of this perception of knowledge. A polydisciplinary approach, however, would be a more accurate construct of reality. Given the following four aspects of a polydisciplinary approach to…

The 1989 document, "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics," provides a vision and a framework for revising and strengthening the K-12 mathematics curriculum in North American schools and for evaluating both the mathematics curriculum and students' progress. When completed, it is expected that the Addenda Series will…