A Study on Cognitive Development of Scientifically Talented Students toward Definition and Theorem in the Course of Multivariable Calculus

We adopt a spirit of Problem based learning to the class of Multivariable Calculus in a school of scientifically talented students and observed effects of our teaching-learning method in the Spring Semester of 2010. Twelve students who enrolled in this class participated in this research. We have proceeded with classroom experiment for the half of semester after midterm exam so that the students could compare our teaching-learning method with usual traditional one in the subject of multivariable calculus. Especially, we investigated changes in the learning attitude and cognitive development of the students toward definition and theorem of mathematics. Each group of 4 students worked on a sheet of our well-designed structured problems of several steps in each class and presented how they understood the way of constructing new definition and related theorems. Instructor's role in this research was to guide students' activities as questioner so that students could attain the clear meanings of definitions and theorems by themselves. We firstly analyzed students' process of mathematization of definition through observing their discussions and presentations as well as their achievements in the quizzes and final exams. Secondly, we analyzed students' class-diaries collected at the end of each class in addition to pre/post surveys.