Collaboration in Calculus

Ask students to watch the following skits, and think about the nature of the collaboration they are about to witness. After each one,
ask the four questions for discussion.

Questions:

1. Where in the collaboration does the learning taking place? Who is learning?
2. What are the positive pieces to the collaboration?
3. What are the negative pieces to the collaboration?
4. If you were in this collaboration, what are ways you could make the collaboration more productive?

SKIT I

Narrator: Doctor Lurain and Mr. Shah are in the student center during a common free. They are – as always –
exceptionally well-manner and well-groomed. Both are in Calculus.

AL: Hey Mr. Shah, you’re in Calculus! I have some free time now. Wanna do the homework together?

SS: Oh Doc, it’s like you don’t even pay attention in class. We don’t get homework in Calculus. It’s home enjoyment.
(Sigh.) But sure! I’d love to work with you.

[AL & SS get worksheet out]

AL: So what are you doing for question 1?

SS: Ah, seriously, rational functions are the pain in the asymptote. I don’t know.

AL: Well, let’s see…

[AL & SS huddle together whispering and writing]

Narrator: Doctor Lurain explains how to do the first problem to Mr. Shah.

SS: Oh, the second problem is just like the first.

AL: Except there’s a hole. Let me show you.

Narrator: Doctor Lurain explains how to do the second problem to Mr. Shah.

[AL & SS huddle together whispering and writing]

Narrator: This continues. Doctor Lurain and Mr. Shah talk about the first ten problems, talking and writing, talking and
writing. Doctor Lurain seems to get the material pretty well, and Mr. Shah is listening, nodding, and writing things down.
Every so often, Mr. Shah will interject with a question.

AL: Wow, this is going super duper ultra fast. Thanks for working with me. We make a great team.

SKIT II

SS: Hey, Doc, I see you have your home enjoyment. I was wondering if I could look at yours? I have mine done – see?
[Holds up paper] I just want to check my answers.
AL: I gotta run! I got class now. Do you want to just take this and compare your answers?

SS: Sure. I’ll give it back to you before class.

SKIT III

AL: Hey Mr. Shah.

SS: What’s up? I’m really having difficulty doing problem 7 from the home enjoyment.

AL: Oh, I got a few minutes. Let’s sit down and talk?

SS: Thanks. These rational functions are a pain in my asymptote!

AL: That joke is getting old, dude.

SS: Blame the teacher. He’s said it so much that he’s getting in my brain. Anyway, see what I did here? I just don’t get
why there isn’t an x-intercept.

AL: Well, first, tell me – what’s true about all x-intercepts?

SS: The y-coordinate is always zero, because that’s when the function hits the x-axis. The function has no height.

AL: Good. So I see here you set the y part of the function equal to 0. You have a fraction equal to 0. When does a fraction
equal 0?

Narrator: This continues on for the entirety of the problem.

SS: Wow, thanks Doctor! Do you have 5 more minutes? I’m going to try to redo problem 8 and see if I can remember
and apply what I’ve learned. I’d love to check in with you after.

AL: Most def.