Body, Emotion, and Calculus: A Lesson Study on Optimization
Lesson Study Resources
Description: In this activity, we invite students to explore with their bodies how speed, distance, and time change in relation to one another as they walk across different terrains. By measuring their own movement using different walking styles, students gather real data and analyze how one quantity affects another before finding the optimal walking path using calculus. Through this practical, hands-on experiment, we aim to deepen students’ understanding of the relationships between variables and demonstrate how calculus describes motion in the real world.
When and Where: CSU cross-campus team, 2025–26
Team members: Brigitte Lahme (Sonoma State; facilitator), JungHa An (CSU Stanislaus), Loc Dam (CSU Long Beach), Luis Moreno Juarez (CSU Long Beach), Saana Saykali (Cal Poly Pomona)
Focal Student Interview Questions
Lesson Study Conference Slides
Lesson Study Conference Presentation (video)