Theme 6 - Influencing the Mathematics Community

Summary

Changes are taking place. New materials are being developed. New pedagogies are being implemented. Data are being collected at schools here and there. Conferences are being held where colleagues meet to discuss the issues. Tools to assess student learning are being developed and new programs are being evaluated. Conversations are taking place between members of the mathematics community and colleagues in partner disciplines and between mathematicians who teach at the collegiate level and at the high school level. However, the biggest challenge confronting refocusing the courses below calculus is to launch a national initiative. This is a complex and immense undertaking. In this section, Bernard Madison stresses, once again, the importance of drawing on what was learned during the calculus reform efforts and building on our successes. Recalling that the sound-bite for the calculus movement was “a pump, not a filter,” Bernard asks: “What is the headline for precalculus reform? Is there a nugget or snippet that will bring to mind the goals of this effort?” Naomi Fisher and Bonnie Saunders describe a national program to help mathematics and mathematical science departments strengthen their undergraduate programs. Sheldon Gordon summarizes what has been done-to-date to refocus the courses below calculus, and he outlines an ambitious, comprehensive, collaborative plan for implementing systemic change.

One of the reasons given to support the need for precalculus reform is the reform of calculus. Some argue that calculus has changed little, and some argue that what changes there have been have not helped. […]