MIT OpenCourseWare
8 minutes
Linear Algebra Teaching Methods from Gilbert Strang
This is a pedagogical discussion of how to teach linear algebra rather than an exposition of linear-algebra theory itself; it belongs to the domain of mathematics education. The core principle articulated is that mathematical understanding is built in staged layers — first apprehending symbols, then interpreting their meaning, and finally establishing truth through proof — and that instruction should model the mathematician's own real-time reasoning so that learners think alongside the teacher rather than passively receiving conclusions.