Friday, April 5, 2019

NCTM 2019: Making logarithms meaningful through progressive formalization



Logarithms are often seen as one of the most complicated and abstract concepts in secondary mathematics.

Consider these problems. Even for those who can solve the problems using abstract procedures, most would struggle to find meaning in the problem.



In this session, we shared a unit that makes logarithms meaningful. The unit uses realistic contexts and multiple representations to help guide students towards an understanding of progressively more formal logarithms.

You can download the slides and the complete unit below.

Resources from the session



The unit was initially developed by Henk van der Koij, with input and further development from Monica Geist and David Webb. The unit has been taught at many high schools, community colleges, and universities.