Precalculus Pathways to Calculus A Problem Solving Approach, Student Workbook 5th Edition

This text was designed to develop students’ conceptual knowledge, problem solving abilities and skills that are foundational for success in calculus. The text and course materials are organized into eight modules. As students read the text they encounter conceptual explanations and questions, and many engaging examples. The online text also includes short videos that illustrate how to solve novel problems, while providing dynamic illustrations and conceptual explanations. Many practice problems are included in the text. The worked out solutions are initially hidden and can be viewed by selecting a click to reveal option after attempting the problem. Linked interactive animations are also included to help students make sense of the words in an applied problem by first visualizing the relevant quantities and how they are related. Teacher support materials include cognitively scaffolded worksheets (with detailed teacher notes) that are designed to keep students’ minds active in making critical connections for understanding the course’s key ideas. Companion (and optional) PowerPoint slides with linked animations and illustrations are provided to support teachers in providing engaging lectures and discussions about the worksheets’ key ideas. A professional development website (still under development) provides videos of teachers using the materials in their own classrooms. Sample exams are also provided for each module. A research based and validated assessment tool, the Precalculus Concept Assessment (PCA), is included in the suite of materials. The PCA has been validated and may be used to place students in calculus or assess pre-post-course shifts of student learning in precalculus or college algebra.