Approach of Maxima and Minima in a University Course in Calculus

Abstract

The learning of Calculus concepts by undergraduate students is a complex process. Driven by the question ‘Which reasoning processes are developed by undergraduates in a Calculus Lesson Study investigation class?’ we carried out a qualitative and interpretative investigation related to the topic of “Maximums and Minimums’. The Lesson Study, organized into twelve two-hour weekly meetings, involved eight professors from Higher Education Institutions in Southern Brazil. The investigation class was held in a Calculus class of a Mathematics Degree Course at a Federal Institution located in the Southern region of Brazil. The empirical material consists of transcripts from the investigation class recordings and the notes that the students produced in the assignment solving process. The analysis highlighted aspects related to two reasoning processes: deployment and depiction articulation; justification and conclusion phrasing. As for results, the analysis highlighted that the assignment, due to the context that supported it and its design, promoted the development of mathematical reasoning, which stimulated the conveying of mathematical ideas and the formulation and validation of conclusions.

Calculus; Lesson study; University teaching; Maxima and Minima; Mathematics Degree Course