ERIC Number: ED502338
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2003-Jan-15
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
An Inventive Use of the WWW as a Teaching and Learning Tool in Mathematics: Structured Web Materials for Courses across the Mathematics Canon
McLoughlin, M. Padraig M. M.
Online Submission, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (Baltimore, MD, Jan 15, 2003)
The author of this paper submits that students have a natural inquisitiveness; hence, students must be active in learning. Thus, the student must learn to conjecture and prove or disprove said conjecture. Ergo, the purpose of the paper is to submit the thesis that learning with the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) can enhance the students' experience in mathematics and proposes some innovative uses of the web that the author has constructed for his students. The paper is organised in the following manner. In the first part of the paper the author submits the model of his web site and how it fits into his pedagogical programme, "the fusion method," of traditional, reform, and Moore methods for teaching. In the second part of the paper the author focuses on the dissemination of material, exercises for the students, assessment of progress and mastery by the students, and programme for the students to submit work for inclusion on the site. In the third part of the paper the author details the e-book and how development of said material has been of assistance to the department and to the mathematics programme so course appropriate materials is available for use by the students in any class (even those not taught by the author). Creation of such materials enables students to bridge the gap that exists between high school and college level work. The final part of the paper discusses the successes and lack thereof of maintaining the site, including both instructor and student created work, cost and time expense, and reaction of colleagues to the materials being available. Nonetheless, the author's use of the web is not what one might typically think of when one mentions a mathematics web site. It does not include the usual "bells and whistles" one might associate with web sites. It is used primarily as a tool to disseminate materials to students in an efficient manner, encourage students to create mathematical arguments and solutions to problems and then learn the skills necessary to write technical solutions or arguments. The difference in participating and witnessing cannot be understated. The author of this paper submits that students have a natural inquisitiveness; hence, students must be active in learning. Thus, the student must learn to conjecture and prove or disprove said conjecture. Ergo, this paper submits that the use of the WWW is within this context--a programme of mathematical pedagogy such that the students' experience of doing a mathematical argument is the reason for the exercise along with a finished product. So, the instructor constantly monitors the progress of individual students and adjust the notes, offers "hints" on the site, and constructs handouts or modules based on the progress of the students in the class (therefore, it is an ongoing use of the web rather than a pre-existing construct). (Contains 4 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Educational Change, Internet, Teaching Methods, Mathematics Achievement, Mathematics Instruction, Courseware, Computer Uses in Education, Educational Technology, Information Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Technology Integration, Teacher Developed Materials, Instructional Development, Instructional Effectiveness
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Reports - Evaluative; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A