Activity 5. Using examples in class

Find an example in a textbook (or online resource) that you can use or adapt to use in a lecture in a service unit. If you do not personally teach such a unit, make it applicable to a unit taught by one of your colleagues. To find examples that you can adapt for your unit, textbooks with titles such as 'Engineering Mathematics' or 'Statistics for Business/Psychology' make a good starting point.

Broadbridge and Henderson (2008) discuss the practice of teaching mathematics entirely 'in context’ and caution that this can be problematic in large multi-specialisation classes, and also appears to cause less able students problems in then applying the same mathematics to different contexts. While examples are important, they should enhance the learning outcomes achieved, rather than limit them.