Mathematics at a Technical University: the Potential of Horizontal Connections

  • Elena Tolkacheva Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University, 5, building 3, st. Professora Popova, 197376, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Keywords: productive learning; technical thinking; engineering education; fundamental preparation; pedagogical technologies; horizontal connections; motivation to study.

Abstract

Horizontal connections, which are implemented at the Department of Algorithmic Mathematics of St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University «LETI» as an integral part of the methodology of the Procotech approach to learning, are described.
From the statement of the goal of developing the thinking of a professional, in this case technical thinking, in the process of studying at a technical university, general psychophysiological issues of the formation and development of thinking during training arise. In modern technical education, competencies related to information and knowledge — their extraction, transformation and application — are increasingly relevant. Competencies of this kind imply not only the development of information skills, but also the flexibility of the
subject’s mental activity, since it is human reasoning that becomes the ideal basic model for technology.
Mathematics and other fundamental disciplines in technical universities are taught mainly in the first year of education. This forces us to plan not only the content of disciplines, but also training in methods of organizing mental work and preparation for increasing the intensity of mental work.
Horizontal connections are shown as potential to activate the intellectual work of students, increase their academic motivation, as well as increase the stability mental activity system with an increase in workload.

Author Biography

Elena Tolkacheva, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University, 5, building 3, st. Professora Popova, 197376, Saint Petersburg, Russia

PhD, Associate Professor of Algorithmic Mathematics Department, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University, eatolkacheva@etu.ru

References

J. P. van dе Gееr. A psychological study of problem solving, Haarlem, Nl: Uitgeverij De Toorts, 1957.

Е. R. John “Contributions to the study of the problem-solving process,” Psychological Monographs, vol. 71, no. 18, pp. 1–39, 1957; doi: 10.1037/h0093799

B. Csapo and J. Funke, eds., ˊ The Nature of Problem Solving: Using Research to Inspire 21st Century Learning, Educational Research and Innovation, Paris: OECD Publishing, 2017; doi: 10.1787/9789264273955-en

P. J. Feltovich, M. Prietula, and K. Ericsson “Studies of expertise from psychological perspectives,” in The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance 2006, pp. 41–68; doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511816796.004

T. V. Kudryavtsev, Psikhologiya tekhnicheskogo myshleniya. (Protsess i sposoby resheniya tekhnicheskikh zadach) [Psychology of technical thinking. (Process and methods of solving technical problems)], Moscow: Pedagogika, 1975 (in Russian).

M. I. Bashmakov, Teoriya i praktika produktivnogo obucheniya [Theory and practice of productive learning], Moscow: Narodnoe obrazovanie, 2000 (in Russian).

M. Minsky, The Society of Mind, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987.

M. Minsky, The emotion machine: commonsense thinking, artificial intelligence, and the future of the human mind, New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006.

S. Papert, An Exploration in the Space of Mathematics Educations. // Int. J. Comput. Math. Learn., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 95–123, 1996; doi: 10.1007/BF00191473

E. A. Tolkacheva and V. G. Kazakevich, “O kontseptsii soderzhaniya matematicheskogo obrazovaniya inzhenera” [About the concept of the content of the mathematical education of an engineer], Aktual’nye problemy prepodavaniya matematiki v tekhnicheskom vuze, no. 7, pp. 315–322, 2019 (in Russian).

S. N. Pozdnyakov and E. A. Tolkacheva, “Procotech Approach to the Fundamental Training of it Specialists,” in Proc. of XVIII Vserossiiskaya nauchno-prakticheskaya konf. Planirovanie i obespechenie podgotovki kadrov dlya promyshlenno ekonomicheskogo kompleksa regiona, Nov 20–21, 2019, St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia: Izd-vo SPbGETU «LETI», 2020, pp. 43–46 (in Russian).

O. P. Kuznetsov, “Kognitivnoe modelirovanie slabo strukturirovannykh situatsii,” in G. G. Grigoryan and V. L. Stefanyuk, eds., Pospelovskie chteniya: sbornik trudov. Vyp. 7. Iskusstvennyi intellekt — problemy i perspektivy, Moscow: Politekhnicheskii muzei, 2006, pp. 88–97 (in Russian).

S. N. Pozdniakov, “Connection of Goal — Setting in Mathematics Teaching with Its Technological Support,” Computer tools in education, no. 3, pp. 70–89, 2019 (in Russian); doi: 10.32603/2071-2340-2019-3-70-89

A. S. Chukhnov, “Constructive Tasks as a Tool of Invasive and Non-invasive Assessment of Knowledge,” Computer tools in education, no. 3, pp. 96–104, 2019; doi: 10.32603/2071-2340-2019-3-96-104

Yu. M. Lotman, Vnutri myslyashchikh mirov. Chelovek — tekst — semiosfera — istoriya[Inside thinking worlds. Human — text — semiosphere — history], Moscow: Yazyki russkoi kul’tury, 1996 (in Russian).

J. Broadbent and W. L. Poon, “Self-regulated learning strategies & academic achievement in online higher education learning environments: A systematic review,” Internet and Higher Education, vol. 27, pp. 1–13, 2015; doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2015.04.007

J. Xia, J. Fielder, and L. Siragusa, “Achieving better peer interaction in online discussion forums: A reflective practitioner case study,” Issues in Educational Research, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 97–113, 2013; doi: 10.3316/aeipt.198044

S. Vanslambrouck et al., “An in-depth analysis of adult students in blended environments: Do they regulate their learning in an “old school” way?,” Computers & Education, vol. 128, pp. 75–87, 2018; doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.008

V. V. Davydov, “Problemy razvivayushchego obucheniya: Opyt teoreticheskogo i eksperimental’nogo psikhologicheskogo issledovaniya” [Developmental Learning Problems: The Experience of Theoretical and Experimental Psychological Research], Trudy d. chl. i chl.-kor. APN SSSR, Moscow: Pedagogika, 1986 (in Russian).

A. M. Smolkin, Metody aktivnogo obucheniya: Nauchno-metodicheskie posobie. [Active learning methods: Scientific and methodological manual], Moscow: Vysshaya shkola, 1991 (in Russian).

T. A. Boronenko, A. V. Kaisina, and V. S. Fedotova, “Active and Interactive Methods of Pedagogical Interaction in System of Distance Learning,” Nauchnyy dialog, no. 1, pp. 227–243, 2017 (in Russian).

A. A. Holland, “Effective principles of informal online learning design: A theory-building metasynthesis of qualitative research,” Computers & Education, vol. 128, pp. 214–226, 2018; doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.026

M. Ally, M. Cleveland-Innes, N. Boskic, and S. Larwill, “Learners’ use of learning objects,” Journal of Distance Education, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 44–57, 2006.

K. Clark, “Serving underserved communities with instructional technologies: Giving them what they need, not what you want,” Urban Education, no. 40, pp. 430–445, 2005; doi: 10.1177/0042085905276388

L. Fiorella and R. E. Mayer, “The relative benefits of learning by teaching and teaching expectancy,” Contemporary Educational Psychology, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 281–288, 2013; doi: 10.1016/ j.cedpsych.2013.06.001

S. Stollhans, “Learning by teaching: developing transferable skills,” in E. Corradini, K. Borthwick, and A. Gallagher-Brett, eds., Employability for languages: a handbook, Voillans, France: Research-publishing.net, 2016, pp. 161–164; doi: 10.14705/rpnet.2016.cbg2016.478

D. Duran, “Learning-by-teaching. Evidence and implications as a pedagogical mechanism,” Innovations in Education and Teaching International, vol. 54, no. 5, pp. 476–484, 2016; doi: 10.1080/ 14703297.2016.1156011

C. M. Mueller and C. S. Dweck, “Praise for intelligence can undermine children’s motivation and performance,

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 75, no. 1, pp. 33–52, 1998; doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.75.1.33

A. S. Chukhnov and S. N. Pozdniakov, “Pedagogical and Methodological Aspects of Non-Invasive Monitoring (on the Example of Teaching Mathematics at School and University),” Computer tools in education, no. 4, pp. 113–145, (in Russian); doi: 10.32603/2071-2340-2020-4-113-145.

S. V. Rybin, “Izuchenie diskretnoi matematiki v LETI: tekushchee sostoyanie i perspektivy,” [Study of discrete mathematics at LETI: current state and prospects] in S. N. Pozdniakov, ed., TEMPUS PROJECT META-MATH Modern Educational Technologies for Math Curricula in Engineering Education of Russia, Diges, Part I., St. Petersburg, Russia: Elmor, 2015, pp. 70–79 (in Russian).

14th International Congress on Mathematical Education, “Discussion Group,” in ICME14 Official site, Shanghai, 11–18 July, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.icme14.org/static/en/news/39.html?=1631685744476

S. N. Pozdniakov, “Computer Algebra System as a Pedagogical Task,” Computer tools in education, no. 2, pp. 25–41, 2017 (in Russian).

V. G. Kazakevich and E. A. Tolkacheva, “Templates and algorithms in the mathematical engineering training,” Development of education, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 13–19, 2018 (in Russian); doi: 10.31483/r-21827

Student University IT-LETI, [Official site] [Online] (in Russian). Available: https://sites.google.com/view/it-leti/

II International Conference "Сomputer Assisted Mathematics [Official site]. [Online]. Available: http://cam21.ipo.spb.ru/cam21

M. N. Dudina, “Innovatsionnye obrazovatel’nye tekhnologii: reversivnoe obuchenie” [Innovative educational technologies: reverse learning], in Nauchnye issledovaniya v oblasti pedagogiki i psikhologii. Sbornik nauchnykh trudov po itogam mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii, Saratov, Russia, no. 2, 2017 (in Russian).

Published
2021-08-15
How to Cite
Tolkacheva, E. (2021). Mathematics at a Technical University: the Potential of Horizontal Connections. Computer Tools in Education, (2), 84-100. https://doi.org/10.32603/2071-2340-2021-2-84-100
Section
Computers in the teaching process