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From: ARJ91%GENESEO.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: RE: The use of calculators in teaching calculus
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Date: 8 Dec 90 04:11:00 GMT
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I am afraid I don't share Mr. Bense's pessimistic attitude towards the
teaching of calculus.  I had a calc. class in which I learned not to simply
"jump through the hoops" and "barf back equations."  I am not sure what it is
about mathematics education that makes him think this is indemic.  Our course
focused explicitly on "real world" approaches to problems just like the
projectile motion problem proposed by Bense.

I also don't agree with his view on calculators.  I have used both the HP-28S
and 48SX and teaching students calc. using these calculators would be a
definite enhancement.  Using the graphing and solver functions of the HP
machines really helped me visualize the calculus.

I tend to think that these courses would be more successful if they were
taught in the context of the applications, i.e. I learned as much of the
fundamental of problem solving for calculus in Physics as in math classes.

Alex Judkins
arj91@geneseo
SUNY Geneseo