Students’ understanding of a mathematical idea depends upon the examples used by their teachers. Thus, the key responsibility of a math teacher is to select examples that provide the best learning opportunities for students, as well as present the examples in the way most suitable to promote learning. The study reported here is part of a larger research program addressing the role and nature of examples in mathematical thinking, learning, and teaching. The main goal of this part of the study is to characterize mathematics teachers’ choice and use of examples in teaching derivatives. This study provided evidence of the application of instructional examples to teach derivatives in calculus courses.

calculus, derivative, examples