Calculus Reform Sparks a Backlash

Abstract

The nationwide movement to reform the teaching of calculus is being criticized by some mathematicians, who argue that new courses water down the subject and coddle students with computers. Their concerns got an airing recently at the winter meetings of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America, held in Orlando, Florida. Yet despite the divisive debate, both sides agree on one point: The reform movement has had a healthy effect on mathematicians' attitudes toward teaching. Computers/Math