The idea of forming a Differential Equations Working Group emerged during the fall NE-IBLM conference in CT. In spring 2020, four members of NE-IBLM (Max Ahmadov, Ileana Vasu, Mel Henriksen and Mami Wentworth) organized a Differential Equations Working Group, and we were joined by Viktoria Savatorova and a faculty member from Converse College. We met online every other week from January to April to discuss strategies for inquiry-based learning techniques in our introductory differential equations course.
A part of the discussion was based on the Active Differential Equations curriculum that Mel and I developed over the years. ADE presents a sequence of questions that are designed to engage students in thinking and doing mathematics with short explanations dispersed throughout the curriculum. Although members of the working group were covering different lessons at the time of the meetings, this difference allowed us to talk not just about general questions and suggestions for each other, but ideas and concepts that students struggled with in class.
Max teaching Laplace Transforms with Active Differential Equations at Holyoke Community College in December 2019
After transitioning to online learning in mid-March, the working group provided a nice opportunity for the attendees to share successes and challenges that we faced during a difficult, unprecedented time. Our conversation varied from a feature in Zoom one could employ for effective learning to techniques for assessing student work in an online setting.
Overall, the working group allowed interested faculty to meet and discuss strategies and struggles with other faculty teaching a similar course. It provided a safe space for faculty to reflect on their teaching style and learn from others.
If you are interested in joining the Differential Equations Working Group or taking a look at Active Differential Equations, please contact Mami at wentworthm1@wit.edu or Mel at henriksenm@wit.edu. We would love to discuss the content, strategies or anything related to teaching and learning differential equations.
