Dear Colleagues,

We continue our Colloquium.

Professor Betsy Darken
Department of Mathematics, UTC

Learning How to Do It or Why It Works: Which Should Come First?

Abstract. In any discipline, learning is often categorized into two types,
conceptual and procedural.  Roughly speaking, the former concerns "why"
while the latter concerns "how." In mathematics education, there is
considerable debate related to these types of learning.  One issue concerns
the relative importance of conceptual and procedural learning at various
grade levels. For instance, do fifth graders need to understand what 1/5 x
10 means, or how to compute the answer, or both?  A second concerns the
order in which these types of learning should occur.  If, for example, you
believe that fifth graders should develop both a procedural and a conceptual
understanding of 1/5 x 10, which should they learn first?  Or is this the
wrong question?  In this talk, I will discuss research related to these
issues, along with implications for the mathematics education of future
teachers. I will specifically discuss the manuscript I am currently using
for the latter.

September 5, Thursday, Room 207, 2:45 p. m.