Proof to Practice: A day of mathematics education research in calculus and linear algebra

This first symposium hosted by FERMAT, but hopefully not the last, took place on the UT campus on 11 November 2025. The event was funded by 4TU+:AMI, specifically the MEReP SRI, as well as the UT EEMCS faculty. Without this funding the event would not have been possible. 

The 34 delegates represented eight institutions across four countries and the speakers represented The University of Oklahoma, University College Dublin, TU Delft, TU Eindhoven and the University of Twente. The talks themselves covered several aspects of linear algebra and single and multivariable calculus. The event closed with a workshop of a linear algebra card game, run by our colleagues from Maastricht University. 

The event had two primary aims. One aim was to help develop and support a community of mathematics education researchers within and nearby the Netherlands. Scientific studies of how the human brain learns and understands mathematics are valuable, yet the people carrying out those studies are often scattered quite thinly. Opportunities to come together and share such research with one another are very welcome. A second aim was to make topic-specific maths education research visible to teachers of mathematics, research that would otherwise be hidden away in education journals not typically read by mathematicians. It was for this reason that we chose two commonly taught subjects, rather than choosing a more general theme.  

The event was a great success and we in FERMAT look forward to hosting another such event in the future.