Communicating to Learn Multivariable Calculus: Students' Blackboard Presentations as a Means for Enhancing Mathematics Learning

Abstract

This paper reports observations and reflections from a pedagogic intervention intended to enhance mathematics students' learning of course content in a course in multivariable calculus. The intervention design required students to structure, practice, and deliver an oral presentation that was a synthesis of the teacher's weekly lectures, for the benefit of themselves and their peers. The intervention appears to have incentivized students to engage with and learn mathematics contents in an effective way, and it also helped the mathematics teacher to reflect on, adapt, and develop his teaching strategies. To conclude, it would seem that both students and teachers in mathematics have much to gain from giving students opportunities to develop their own voice in learning contexts otherwise relying on books and lectures.

Keywords:

• Speaking
• communicating-to-learn
• blackboard
• presentations
• synthesis
• mathematics learning

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hans Malmstrom

Hans Malmstrom (BA, Ph.D., associate professor) has been teaching and researching languages for specific (technical and academic) purposes at Chalmers University of Technology since 2011 where he also coordinates communication and pedagogic development initiatives for the two programs in Applied Mathematics and Applied Physics. His other research focuses on advanced second language acquisition, language learning and discourse analysis. He recently returned to Chalmers from Harvard University where he was a Visiting Scholar.

Dennis Eriksson

Dennis Eriksson (Ph.D., assistant professor) has been teaching mathematics to first-year engineering students at Chalmers University of Technology since 2014. He obtained his Master's and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics in Paris and Tokyo, and has also spent extended periods of time in Germany. Since 2015 he has the overall responsibility for restructuring the mathematics curriculum at the civil engineering programs at Chalmers. His area of research is geometry.