What problems in mathematics education are addressed by C&M courses?
As Sue C. Heffelfinger,M.D. put it: “My husband and I suffered through many years of dull college math, I for one didn’t learn anything about calculus until I took physical chemistry.” Like Dr. Heffelfinger,when most people reflect on the math courses they took in college or high school, they get a hazy look on their face. Those who have been through a conventional mathematics class are often hard-pressed to explain what the course was about. They remember math was hard but often have little memory of what they actually learned. Often these classes presented students with collections of “skills” which they were to memorize. The problem was that many folks forgot these skills shortly after they completed the class. The skills had to be memorized because they meant little to the students’ intellects. C&M courses address this problem using modern technology to concentrate on the ideas and concepts of mathematics treating the “skills” as ancillary but sometimes important. Former C&M studen
