An Introductory Set of Activities Designed to Facilitate Successful Combinatorial Enumeration for Undergraduate Students. Issue 10 (25th November 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lockwood, Elise; Swinyard, Craig A.
• Is Part Of: PRIMUS. Volume 26:Issue 10(2016)
• Page Start: 889
• Page End: 904
• Publication Date: 2016-11-25
• Subjects: Combinatorics -- discrete mathematics -- counting problems -- reinvention; Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Periodicals; 510.711
• DOI: 10.1080/10511970.2016.1194934
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1051-1970

Abstract

Abstract: In this paper, we present a set of activities for an introduction to solving counting problems. These activities emerged from a teaching experiment with two university students, during which they reinvented four basic counting formulas. Here we present a three-phase set of activities: orienting counting activities; reinvention counting activities; and outcome-focused review activities. In presenting the activities, we include a list of sample tasks, suggestions for prompts for effective implementation, and data excerpts that provide evidence for the effectiveness of these activities.