Discover Deakin’s latest OER: Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation
Deakin Library is proud to have supported the recent launch of Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation, a new open educational resource!
Tackling a confidence issue
Inspiration for creating the resource stemmed from the fact that according to the OECD, 93% of adults feel anxious if they’re asked to do maths. Authors Simon and Chris originally developed the content as a first-year mathematics unit for pre-service primary school teachers. That’s when they realised their focus was to show people who think they can’t do maths that in fact, they can.
The work aims to help learners develop their ability and their confidence in using mathematics to solve problems and make reasonable decisions; and to equip teachers to help their students do the same.
‘Making this book an OER means it can reach as many people as possible, given that most people seem to share in some form of maths anxiety,’ Simon and Chris say.
Associate Professor Simon James and Senior Educational Designer Chris Rawson, and illustrated by designer Erin Cheffers at the launch of Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation.
A shareable, adaptable resource
The authors received a grant through Deakin Library’s Open Educational Resources Grant program, which helped them transform the unit material they had already created into a standalone resource.
‘We used the OER grant to hire Erin to be our student graphic designer and then the final stages involved a lot of work in making sure the videos and resources were copyright compliant. The Library were very proactive and resourceful in helping us make this happen,’ they say.
Another benefit of this work being an open resource is that, for the most part, it can be used however people would like. ‘We hope that it will be used to help in the teaching and learning of mathematics – the CC license allows anyone to either use small parts of it, or rework whole chapters as it suits their needs. It could be used or adapted for primary or secondary classrooms, teacher education or even for use in other units that require mathematical knowledge.’
People gathered at the launch event for Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation.
About the book
Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation is written by Associate Professor Simon James and Senior Educational Designer Chris Rawson, and illustrated by designer Erin Cheffers. It has been developed in collaboration between the School of Information Technology, Deakin Library, Deakin Learning Futures and the CloudFirst Course Review and Renewal project. Published on Pressbooks, this book is available for use and adaptation to support the development of core mathematical skills.
You can read Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation online, and learn more about Deakin Library’s Open Educational Resources Grant Program here.