New free online seminar for math instructors

[Kathy_Bautista]

The new S03 seminar "Calculators Are for Calculating, Mathematica Is for Calculus" discusses some limitations with traditional approaches to teaching calculus and shows how Mathematica can remove those limits to provide a more enriching learning experience for students.

Authored by Andrew Dorsett, a former high school and university calculus instructor, the seminar provides insights on the benefits of using Mathematica for teaching calculus topics such as squeeze theorem, derivatives, Newton's method, Riemann sums, and solids of revolution.

This seminar is free, and includes example class materials for teaching calculus that you can download and immediately start using in your classes. Highlights include:

• Riemann sums example
• Solids of revolution example
• Squeeze theorem courseware (Mathematica notebook)
• Derivatives lab activity (Mathematica notebook)
• Newton's method tutorial (Mathematica notebook)
• World population lab activity (Mathematica notebook)
• Links to resources to help you get Mathematica, find materials, or connect with other users around the world

We hope to "see" you there!

-Kathy

[Andy_Dorsett]

I am very excited about presenting this new seminar. As a former high school Calculus teacher, I found that there were plenty of "holes" or "gaps" in my teaching where I fell short. Now that I see how Mathematica could have helped me through these tough spots, I kick myself for not exploring Mathematica when I was in the classroom. The seminar is intended to give you a look at Mathematica through the eyes of a math teacher. There are other discipline-specific seminars that are in development, and we are incredibly excited about what teachers will do in the classroom after attending.