Calculus for kids: Engaging primary school student in engineering Morris

Calculus for kids: Engaging primary school students

in engineering
Narelle Morris
Fraser Coast Anglican College in Hervey Bay, Queensland

Abstract: Fraser Coast Anglican College adopted the Calculus for Kids program in
2015. It has been eagerly adopted by teachers and students. The particular advantages
of the project have been reflected in increased engagement with mathematics and a far
more positive ‘can do’ attitude amongst students. The project is seem as a useful counter
to the decline in Australian mathematics learning enrolments.

Introduction
My name is Narelle Morris and I am the Dean of Numeracy at Fraser Coast Anglican College in Hervey Bay,
Queensland. This is the second year we have been involved with Calculus for Kids and I will be talking about the
program and its benefits to our students.

In my role, I am responsible for improving the numeracy outcomes across K to 12. We are implementing the DIRE
model across the school to ensure we intervene early and hopefully increase the engagement of students early.

As I mainly work in the Senior School and my new role involves a lot of work in the Junior school, it has been a
huge learning curve.

I soon became aware that students’ attitudes towards mathematics and their mindsets were an influence on their
learning and engagement.

As a Senior School Mathematics teacher, I am aware of the current trend of declining numbers of students choosing
Maths in Years 11 and 12 and the knock on effect in Universities and mathematical graduates.

We need to be looking at how do we engage young students in mathematics, taking advantage of their natural
curiosity and foster a love of mathematics that continues through their school journey.

The Program
Australia is facing a decline of mathematics professionals. This decline commences in primary schools, and in
2012 only 9.4% of our Year 12 students were taking Advanced Mathematics, a decrease of 22% since 2000.
Undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments in mathematics and statistics have plateaued over the past three years
(Australian Mathematical Science Institute, 2014). With increasing emphasis on innovation and STEM for
economic prosperity, it is clear that early interventions are needed to arrest this alarming decline. It is vital students
be engaged with mathematics, are exposed to its countless possibilities, and most of all, enjoy the experience.

This reasoning underpins the Calculus for Kids project. Since computers are so much a part of everyday life, the
project puts them central as a cognitive assistant when engaging students in complex mathematics. The aim of the
project is to engage higher order thinking without the mechanical distractions of calculation. This moves away
from the traditional focus on ‘getting the right number’ in order the focus can be more on real world applications
of the techniques involved. The computer algebra system MAPLE® was selected to assist students. Once they
have achieved operational familiarity with the software, they can focus on understanding and solving real-world
problems using calculus, without the stress of carrying out the mathematical calculations by hand (Fluck, Chin,
Ranmuthugala & Penesis, 2014).

As most teachers involved in the program are Primary School trained, they may have not have much exposure to
Calculus so a full day’s training is provided by the researchers directly involved in ‘Calculus for Kids’ before the
commencement of the program in schools. This provides teachers the opportunity to become familiar with the
teaching material and discuss any questions or concerns. A series of 11 PowerPoint Presentations are also provided
to aid in delivering and explaining the concepts to students. To cater for different learning styles the materials are
provided in various forms – videos, diagrams, real-life applications and worked examples. A member of the
research team visits the school mid-way through the program to further assist teachers running the program for the

Page 1 of 7
Calculus for kids: Engaging primary school student in engineering Morris

first time. The research team member then gets a chance to watch a lesson and interact with the students in order
to gauge the current success of the program and to assist with any teaching or technical issues.

“By allowing students to interact with and struggle with the mathematics using their ideas and their strategies ...
the mathematics they learn will be connected to other mathematics and to their world” (Van de Walle, Karp, Lovin
& Bay-Williams, 2006). Calculus for Kids seeks to involve students in mathematics in this way, making it more
likely they will understand and retain the skills. The thirteen lessons take students through the operational aspects
of the software, understand the mathematical concepts, and then use these together to solve real world problems.
Learning is visualised using PowerPoint presentations with animations to make the direct instruction for concepts
clear and accessible. After each short presentation, students are guided through example and practice problems
using MAPLE to gain confidence through experience with the mathematics. Building on this, they then move to
worksheets which have real world problems (see Figure 1). This context for mathematics is important to
consolidate understanding and foster further skill (Sparrow, 2008). It makes it possible for students to engage,
understand and experience success with mathematics.

In the early days of the Calculus for Kids project, the research focussed on applications of integral calculus through
the use of ICT (information and communications technology) to support student learning. However, following
feedback from participating teachers, an extra element was included in the learning sequence. This introduced
students to modelling the real world using function equations, and gave them the ability to match a function line
to a real world situation. Although limited to parabolic forms, this seems to be a required element for ‘knowing
calculus’ in the broader sense used by teachers. Devising the modelling equation is seen as an essential precursor
to solving problems using integral calculus. This paper includes the results from this previous research.

The stainless steel Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri, has the shape of a catenary, which is a curve
that approximates a parabola. It is 192 metres wide and 192 metres tall. Determine an equation that
models the curve. Plot this curve using Maple.

Figure 1: Example of a calculus question based on real-life applications (‘Calculus for Kids’
resource materials).

Previous results
Student achievement in the project is summatively assessed. The items in the assessment test are drawn from first
year maritime engineering degree examinations which would normally be solved entirely manually. However, to
match the assessment and learning contexts, the students in Calculus for Kids use MAPLE throughout. Thirteen
such items comprise the post-test, with five questions involving real-world applications (Chin, Fluck,
Ranmuthugala & Penesis, 2011). This advanced level of item difficulty provides an insight into the achievements
of the students and the success of the program. Every participating student takes the test in each school using the
Calculus for Kids materials.

The application questions were based on real-life problems which brought together the theoretical understanding
with the operational MAPLE skills learned in the project. Without sufficient theoretical knowledge, students would
not be able to apply the correct mathematical techniques to solve the problems. They used their mathematical
concepts to develop equations, extract the required data from the context, and enter these into MAPLE (see Figure

Page 2 of 7
Calculus for kids: Engaging primary school student in engineering Morris

2).

The figure below shows a curtain for a stage. Calculate the area to buy enough cloth to make it:

y=9

2 y = x2 - 20x +100
y=x

Figure 2: Example of a calculus question based on real-life application and student solution in
MAPLE (‘Calculus for Kids’ resource materials).
Since primary school typically have not previous exposure to integral calculus, there was no baseline data to
compare the summative assessment against. The post-test was the only reasonable way to measure their
achievement of the necessary skills with MAPLE, comprehension of the questions and ability to apply correct
mathematical reasoning. The aim of the study is to track the students involved with Calculus for Kids into their
secondary schools by collecting NAPLAN data and comparing their engagement in STEM subjects relative to
their peers.

Therefore the results presented here are taken from the final test. For university students, the benchmark score for
a PASS is 50%. Table 1 provides the mean score from five schools across four states (Fluck et al., 2014). They
provide evidence that students aged 10-12 can comprehend university level engineering mathematics and apply
this knowledge to the solution of problems reasonably successfully. St. Theses Primary School in Torquay became
involved in the project in 2014 and has been running it ever since.

Table 1: Results from previous iterations of ‘Calculus for Kids’

State Location Mean test
score (%)
NSW Urban 75

QLD Urban 88

VIC Rural 58

TAS Rural 63

TAS Rural 90

Page 3 of 7
Calculus for kids: Engaging primary school student in engineering Morris

Fraser Coast Anglican College Context

The College is in Hervey Bay, a regional coastal town 300km north of Brisbane. It is currently the Best Regional
School in Queensland and a Blue School. While these titles are both fantastic, we have been concerned about the
lack of growth in Numeracy in our NAPLAN data from years 5 to 9. The Calculus for Kids program is one of the
steps we have taken to address this. In 2015, there were two Year 6 classes of 25 students each. Luckily for me,
both classroom teachers are also lovers of mathematics and able mathematicians. I ran the program with both
classes over Semesters 1 and 2.

The students indicated that they had gained an understanding of integral calculus, but also showed an increase in
mathematical language, confidence and engagement.

Some examples are, students who struggled with the use of the keyboard were introduced to Sticky Keys which
worked well, asking questions indicated an awareness of the new concepts – one girl asked for the graph of y = x2
why the difference in the points was not constant given the symmetry of the graph. This year the two Year 6 classes
are 29 students each and we had split them into 3 groups from their pretest on the Number unit in term 1. We
decided it was best to work with them this way in the Calculus for Kids program as well in terms of their readiness.
It was certainly different, definitely easier, to 2015 and so the results are very different. When I walked up to the
classroom for the last lesson with the first group, they burst into song and were thanking me for the classes and
wished they could stay longer.

Video of song

Table 2: Class average score for ‘Calculus for Kids’ in the final test for students at FCAC over 3
terms.
Year Terms Mean score
2015 2/3 56%

2015 3/4 62%

2016 1/2 72%

Observations
The Year 6 teachers’ initial concerns were that they didn’t feel the students really understood the mathematics
behind integration and so asked if the program was viable? After the first few weeks, they realized the students
were enjoying the new concepts and revelling in the challenge of completing senior school maths.

What the program achieves, which many curriculum focused teaching does not; is scaffolding students to make
real connections between mathematical areas through the use of real world problem solving. Additionally, students
are exposed to a large vocabulary of mathematical language. Teachers could see participating students were using
the correct terminology to explain the mathematical concepts they had understood. This terminology supported
students to articulate their learning and use social constructivism to consolidate understanding. The MAPLE
software includes a range of equation templates to facilitate mathematical expression building, ensuring their
learning will sustain them into the future since they always use conventional graphology (See Figure 3).

Page 4 of 7
Calculus for kids: Engaging primary school student in engineering Morris

Figure 3: The MAPLE control screen provides templates from which equations can be
constructed using conventional mathematics notation.
Digital tools and resources should be a core element of new pedagogies (Fullan & Langworthy, 2014). But the
tools alone cannot re-write curricula. Fullan and Donnelly (2013) go on to say “… technology used without
powerful teaching strategies (and deep learning tasks) does not get us very far)”. The ‘Calculus for Kids’ support
material links technology with real-world problems for students to solve with mathematics. The use of a high-
powered computer algebra system like MAPLE provides an excellent technology tool in conjunction with the
visual learning materials and individual engagement tasks which constitute the matching pedagogy. Students
become highly involved in learning through active use of the technology instead of merely sourcing information.
A meta-study of learning interventions by Hattie (2008) showed computer assisted instruction had an effect size
of 0.37 and computer assisted acceleration an effect size of 0.88. An effect size of 1.0 roughly corresponds to a
single standard deviation from the mean, and is generally accepted as the learning growth normally observed over
a full calendar year. This thinking can be applied to the ‘Calculus for Kids’ project in reverse. Since these Year 6
students demonstrate achievement with material not normally taught until Year, 11, the effect size can be said to
be 5.0. This is very significant.

Furthermore, the Calculus for Kids project improves student in the affect domain. Mathematical anxiety can result
in lowered mathematical performance (Buckley, 2013). C4K students understand the high level of mathematics to
which they are exposed, and through achieving success, they generate confidence. Less able students were
observed to make the greatest increase in mathematical confidence through being supported to achieve something
at the upper end of their mathematical aspirations. This was reflected in their conventional numeracy classes, since
they are more likely to see challenges instead of traps. More able students also showed altered perspectives. They
were able to go beyond passive acceptance of mathematical concepts, to trying them out in practice and engaging
with them by questioning and testing. It also ignited motivation to investigate parallel topics such as algebra and
trigonometry. In particular, a group of female students were curious about the shapes of plotted functions, and
wanted to know how to do this manually. Asking for functions to plot at home, one parent said that their daughter
required prompting to take a break from function plotting from time to time!

This shift in perspective about mathematics, and the associated motivation to learn, were essential ingredients of
the Calculus for Kids project. Participating students changed their mindset about mathematics from ‘boredom’ to
a challenge with a personal achievement reward. This ‘growth mindset’ was described by Dweck (2006) where
change become acceptable and adopted. The growth mindset leads to opportunities to experience success, and
changes the individual’s approach to errors as a challenge for improvement. Calculus for Kids students gained
exposure to very complex mathematics, but more importantly, it showed them much more of the field than

Page 5 of 7
Calculus for kids: Engaging primary school student in engineering Morris

traditional numeracy lessons ever could.

Engineering for Primary school students

By introducing calculus to students at a relatively young age, we build an understanding of what an engineer really
does. While understanding mathematics is important in a professional engineering career, almost as important are
the skills to use sophisticated computer design tools to achieve an objective. So Calculus for Kids prepares students
to achieve success in solving practical engineering problems, making them aware of the demands of this as a
career. Women are under-represented in the profession (Engineers Australia, 2011) with only 11% females. Table
3 shows the participation of girls at Fraser Coast Anglican College.

Table 3: Gender comparison of students results in ‘C4K’ final test at FCAC.

Gender 2015 Mean score 2016 Mean score
Males 26 57% 11 74%

Females 27 54% 113 76%

Implications
With the support of the C4K research team, MAPLE software support and the school’s ICT support, the program
has run fairly smoothly. My timetable and the availability of the computer lab with the software installed worked
in well with the year 6 timetable which made the initial set up easy. We have a lot of students in the school whose
parents work in the school, including the Principal, who constantly come and find me to say how much their child
is enjoying the program. They are blown away when I tell them the final test is of a first year University standard.
The 2016 Year 6 students had heard from the 2015 students and so were very excited before we even started!

Students continually thanked me for this opportunity and did not want to go back to their traditional classrooms at
the end of it. I have followed up with the students now they are in Year 7 this year and their positive attitudes
continue.

They had participated in the Year 7/8 QAMT Problem Solving competition in 2015 and came last, this year they
came equal first, losing in a tie break and will be going on to represent the school in Bundaberg later in the year.

Student testimonial video

Conclusion
Based on the final test results, the project to use computer algebra software to teach primary-aged students integral
calculus has been very successful. Further impacts of the study will become apparent as NAPLAN monitoring
proceeds as these students proceed into high school. Just as important to Australia has been the observed impact
in the classroom, with a change of mindset about numeracy in general. By using the pedagogical techniques in
Calculus for Kids, students have approach what initially seemed an ‘impossible’ task, and found within themselves
the capacity to respond and exceed their own expectations. Students have a renewed engagement with Mathematics
with increased motivation, confidence and positive attitudes. Through ‘glass half full’ lenses, this will build into
lifelong learning, fascination with mathematics and a capability to use the field in the real world of work.

References
Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (2014). Discipline profile of the mathematical sciences 2014. ASMI.
http://amsi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/discipline-profile-2014.pdf.
Buckley, S. (2013). Deconstructing math anxiety: Helping students to develop a positive attitude towards learning maths.
ACER occasional essays: Melbourne, VIC.
Chin, C., Fluck, A., Ranmuthugala, D. & Penesis, I. (2011) ICT curriculum transformation of mathematics in primary
schools. International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education 2(3)428-435.

Page 6 of 7
Calculus for kids: Engaging primary school student in engineering Morris

Dweck (2006) Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Balantine Books: New York, USA.
Engineers Australia (2011). The decline of stem studies in year 12 and constraints to university engineering
studies. Author.
https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/shado/Resources/stem_at_school_and_higher_
education.pdf
Fluck, A and Chin, CKH and Ranmuthugala, D., & Penesis, I. (2014). Calculus for Kids. Conference Proceedings of the
Australian Computers in Education Conference 2014, pp. 143- 150. Retrieved from
http://acec2014.acce.edu.au/sites/2014/files/2014ConfProceedingsFinal.pdf
Fullan, M. and Donnelly, K. (2013) Alive in the swamp: Assessing digital innovations in education. London: NESTA;
and Oakland, CA: NewSchools Venture Fund.
Fullan, M. and Langworthy, M. (2014) A Rich Seam: How new pedagogies find deep learning. Pearson.
Hattie, J. (2008). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge.
Sparrow, L. (2008) Real and relevant mathematics: Is it realistic in the classroom? Australian Primary Mathematics
Classroom 13 (2)4-8.
http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=225843965643673;res=IELHSS
Van de Walle, J., Karp, K., Lovin, L., & Bay-Williams, J. (2006). Teaching student-centered mathematics. Boston: Pearson
Education Inc.

Page 7 of 7