Poster Presentation at AAPT
Abstract
Integration in STEM disciplines presents a formidable task for novice students which according to our findings is due to students considering integrals as mere antiderivatives. We developed a pedagogy where solutions inhomogeneous physics problems are approximated as finite sums, eventually becoming limits of an infinite series of infinitesimally small terms (Riemann sum). In a series of worksheets inhomogeneous problems are presented to students who are being asked to derive approximate solutions as sum of partial results obtained from dividing the original problem into a number of smaller, approximately homogeneous, ones. As we increase the number of divisions, the accuracy of the solution increases and the integral is naturally emerging as a Riemann sum. No calculus is required for completion of the worksheets and the work is essentially algebra based. Recently we implemented the pedagogy on the web to facilitate disbursement and data collection in large classes.
