Visualization in Precalculus and Calculus with MyLab Math
“I’d rather sing you a song than draw you a picture,” is what I’ve been telling my math classes for almost 20 years now. I’ve always enjoyed music (I was one course shy of a Music minor) and I always enjoy an opportunity to sing. Even in my math classes, I would sing the quadratic formula to the tune of “Pop! Goes the Weasel” – something which my students always enjoyed.
When it comes to drawing however, that is a whole other matter. My stick figures are embarrassing, so you certainly don’t want me to draw complicated 3D figures in Calculus. If only I could sing about washers and cylinders for volumes of rotation in Calculus; unfortunately, a picture is better than a thousand words, or songs, in my case.
A visual feast
I‘m so excited to share with you all the tools for visualizing precalculus and calculus in Pearson’s MyLab Math. Why just write about it when I can also show you? Check out these videos to walkthrough the new graphing and interactive tools for conceptualizing:
For several years now Pearson has had excellent interactive figures in all these courses to help instructors and students visualize the math regardless of your artistic skills. Some of them use Mathematica (see Briggs Calculus) while others use GeoGebra (see Thomas’ Calculus). Here is just one example of an interactive figure in Mathematica.
Not only is this immeasurably better than anything I could draw, but it can be animated from start to finish and rotated 360° for even better understanding.
The ability to pull these up during a virtual class to introduce and explore visual concepts is incredibly valuable, especially during this time of so much synchronous teaching on the computer. Even in the classroom I can pull these up on the projector to visualize the concepts with students, rather than struggling to draw it on the board.
Seeing is believing
There are now around 150 GeoGebra homework exercises available for students in newer College Algebra and Precalculus courses, as well as Pearson’s main Calculus series. These GeoGebra exercises are the most dynamic virtual graphing experience for students that I've seen.
Students must select points on the graph just as if they were graphing by hand on paper; this even includes topics as complex as polynomial, rational, and trigonometric functions. Even graphing the derivative or antiderivative, essentially free hand by plotting points, is now possible with these GeoGebra graphing exercises. No more multiple-choice questions for me – let them do the real thing.
I may not be able to draw as well as I can sing, but thanks to these fantastic tools for visualizing math in Pearson’s MyLab, I no longer have to. Now that has me singing a happy tune!
About the author
Aaron Warnock
Aaron has taught Mathematics at Highline College near Seattle, WA for the last 17 years. He has taught everything from Arithmetic & Algebra to Calculus, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra. Aaron has been teaching online since 2010. Aaron was part of major curriculum redesign at Highline for the pre-college math sequence. The Dev Math team created pathways that helped students get through their math more effectively, as well as making the math more relevant to their everyday lives. Aaron loves using Learning Catalytics to foster an engaging environment in the classroom. In his free-time, Aaron enjoys all things gaming – both heavy strategy board games and console gaming with his kids.
About the author
Mandy Baldwin
Mandy Baldwin is a senior student support specialist with Pearson Online Learning Services, overseeing graduate nursing and healthcare administration students. She has over 6 years' experience working in higher education and has a passion for advising online students, encouraging student growth and persistence, and motivating her teammates. Mandy currently resides in sunny Orlando, FL. During free time, Mandy and her husband can usually be found exploring Walt Disney World, local beaches, or vintage Florida attractions.
