Abstract:

Nowadays we live in an ever-changing society. The educational context is no exception, and requires a renewal of paradigms. Profound changes to the role and function of the teacher and the students are particularly vital [1], [2], [3]. The current University students have different motivations, different attitudes towards the teaching and learning process, and different responses to specific classroom environments and instructional practices [4]. The challenge that teachers face today is to motivate students to learn, get them to commit to and have an active role in their learning [5].

Considering that it is imperative to make the teaching and learning process of mathematics more stimulating, taking into account modern society and student’s interests [6], the authors have developed several strategies to increase the interest and improve the success of students in mathematics. Thus, they decided to use mathematical magic tricks in their classes to raise the motivation of the students, captivating them and stimulating their interest in mathematics. In this work, a case study to evaluate how mathematical magic can contribute to increase students' motivation for learning mathematics is presented. The paper describes how it is conceived as well as the main results.

References:
[1] A. Costa, S. Santos & J Simão, Ensino Superior: uma visão para a próxima década. Lisboa: Publicações Gradiva, 2003.
[2] J. Cowan, Como ser um professor universitário inovador – reflexão na acção. Porto Alegre: Artmed, 2002
[3] E. Morin, Os Sete saberes para a Educação do Futuro. Lisboa: Instituto Piaget, 2002.
[4] R. Felder & R. Brent, “Understanding Student Differences,” in Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 94 no.1, pp. 57-72, 2005.
[5] J. Matos, Trajectórias interdisciplinares – uma aplicação multimédia sobre o Alto Douro. MSc thesis. Porto: Universidade do Porto, 2011.
[6] Joint Mathematical Council of the United Kingdom [JMC], Digital technologies and mathematics education, 2011.

Keywords:

Mathematics, mathematics education, recreational mathematics, mathematical magic, higher education.