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Colleges Can Make Calculus a Gateway — Not a Gatekeeper — to STEM Fields

ED Surge

But neither will happen unless we address the fundamental gatekeeper to all STEM fields: undergraduate calculus. But the pathway to careers in science and technology is anything but user-friendly, as revealed by the sheer number of college students opting to switch out of a STEM major after facing a college calculus class.

Calculus 362
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Revisiting the Legacy of San Francisco’s Detracking Experiment

ED Surge

Researchers have shown that districts around the country dont use the same criteria when grouping students into higher or lower math classes. Thats in part because algebra is considered a critical point in the race to calculus. Those attempting to reform this practice contend that all students are mathematically brilliant, he says.

Algebra 286
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Evidence Is Mounting That Calculus Should Be Changed. Will Instructors Heed It?

ED Surge

Calculus is a critical on-ramp to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Good news: There's mounting evidence that changing calculus instruction works for the groups usually pushed out of STEM. That the traditional lecture method of teaching calculus isn’t as effective as active models.

Calculus 325
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Students Are Busy but Rarely Thinking, Researcher Argues. Do His Teaching Strategies Work Better?

ED Surge

That’s the argument of Peter Liljedahl, a professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, who has spent years researching what works in teaching. These are the students who end up hitting a wall when math courses move from easier algebra to more advanced concepts in, say, calculus, he argues. “At

Research 362
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Why Do Underrepresented Students Struggle to Get the Math They Need for College?

ED Surge

Students who don’t know that colleges prioritize calculus find themselves at a disadvantage in college admissions, according to “ Integral Voices: Examining Math Experiences of Underrepresented Students ,” a recent report from Just Equations, a California-based policy institute focused on making math more equitable.

Calculus 299
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Can Colleges Do More to Help Students Succeed?

ED Surge

Ed Venit, a managing director at EAB, an education and consulting research firm, and his colleagues have found that students entering college now will likely struggle the most in math. If a calculus class wont help students with their career goals, he suggests incorporating different options, like statistics classes, early on.

Algebra 282
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The Role of Mathematics in Education

Ask a Tech Teacher

Or perhaps, amidst a particularly challenging calculus problem, you’ve questioned how this abstract world of numbers and symbols could possibly influence your future career? College and Mathematics: Challenges The Complexity Cliff Remember the first time you looked at a calculus problem in college? Well, you’re not alone.