I subscribe to the Math Education Smart Brief which publishes a few math related articles every day or so. There are often articles I find extremely exciting such as the one in The Dalles Chronicle in Oregon.The article talked about a group of high school students who studied calculus in a very nontraditional way.
They used exercise to learn calculus. Exercise such as squats and vertical jumps are charted so they have data. Then they consider 24 variables and constants like sleep quality, diet, etc, to see how they relate over time. The idea is to calculate the maximum number of squats or vertical jumps at one go in their life time.
One student added additional variables like clothing and room conditions because a person can do more squats in leggings than jeans. If the room is too hot, it may impact the number a squats done. Once these variables and constants are identified, the variables are ranked in importance in regard to the other variables and constants. Once they have assigned all those values, the information is put in a program and the results are calculated. They are able to calculate the final life time results and it can plot the life time progress on a graph.
This gives students a real life application of calculus. It often takes several tries to get the the data done correctly so they get results. Its a great learning experience. The next planned project is to attempt to calculate what it would take to sustainably grow enough food locally for the community. Such inspiration in finding ways for students to learn applied calculus. I wish I'd had a chance to do this when I took Calculus but I got it via the old lecture and do lots of homework.
I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. Yes, I realize today's entry is a bit shorter than normal but this seems to be a unique. I didn't find any other schools doing this. Have a good day.
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