Many teachers dislike mathematics, and in turn teach their students to dislike it. Children who dislike mathematics grow into adults who dislike mathematics, and who often have a hard time balancing their checkbook, understanding mortgages, or understanding how advertisers are misleading them with faulty statistics. Studies show that the more math you take in school, the more likely you are to succeed in life. It is a powerful tool for understanding the world around you, and often the key to the world of higher education and better paying jobs.
As a teacher, you have a duty to teach your students mathematics, and to teach it well. Most of us have been taught mathematics through rules and formulas that we had to memorize and then practice ad nauseum, until we "got it." But did we ever get it? Some of us never did. If you never get a chance to discover mathematics on your own, you will never understand it. According to the 2000 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education, only 54% of elementary teachers feel prepared to teach the mathematics they are responsible for teaching.
What to expect from the class: For the reasons listed in the above paragraph, my expectations of you will be very high. In this class, it is really secondary whether something will be on a test or not, because it will all be relevant to your future teaching, so it is in your interest to understand the entire material. There will be moments when you may be frustrated, because I will keep pushing you to think about why something holds, rather than how to do it (e.g. why we divide fractions the way we do, not how to divide them), or because I will be asking you to do math in a different way from how it was taught. At the same time, I will do everything in my power to help you learn, and to make the class as enjoyable as possible, through hands-on materials, videos and case studies of children doing mathematics, fun activities, games, lessons based on children's books, and my time and attention both in and outside of the classroom.There will be very little lecturing involved. I expect from you to be ready to work on your own and with your peers and me on constructing new knowledge. In return, you can expect from me to guide you in this process, to answer your questions and try to minimize frustrations. My approach comes from the belief that knowledge that students construct on their own is more solid and longer lasting. This is something you may want to consider when you become a teacher yourself. My main objective in teaching this course is for you to start seeing mathematics as an enjoyable, intriguing, fun subject to learn and to teach.
Communication: For success in a class, regular communication between the student and instructor is crucial. Please talk to me about any problems and/or concerns you have about this class, your performance or my teaching. The best way to get in touch with me is via email, or to stop by my office. I will be emailing you frequently and will be updating the course webpage regularly, so make sure that you check both on a regular basis. Assignments and class schedule will be posted online. Grades, readings, and online quizzes will be posted on Sakai. Office hours: I strongly encourage you to attend office hours. Some of my office hours are posted on the course webpage. If I am not in and you need to meet with me, just email me. Chances are that I will respond very quickly. Attendance: Due to the nature of the course, students are required to attend class regularly. In my experience, students who miss class do not perform as well. You cannot make up group work, class discussions, or work with manipulatives. I will be taking attendance daily, and excessive absences (three or more) will result in a lower grade. For example, if you are getting an A in the course, and have four unexcused absences, your final grade will be an A-; if you were supposed to have a B-, and have three unexcused absences, your final grade will be a C+. Group work: Much of class work, and a portion of homework, will be done in groups. Research shows that material is better learned and retained in a group environment. Though students are often resistant to group work, in this course, due to the nature of activities, it will really make a lot of sense. You can find the guidelines for group work on the course webpage. A group can consist of no more than four students. If you are unsatisfied with the group you initially chose, you are free to switch at any time during the semester. If you have persistent problems with group members, please talk to me. Classroom conduct: Classroom atmosphere must be based on mutual respect. Everybody is entitled to learn and everybody is entitled to a comfortable learning environment. There is no such thing as a stupid question. I will always have patience for your questions, and I expect the same from you: I will not tolerate derogatory remarks directed at your peers. I also expect you to come to class on time, turn off your cell phones and pagers, and refrain from all side conversations. All conversation that pertains to the course is encouraged. Course content: Homework: Homework is a crucial component of the course. It is divided up into individual and group homework. Individual homework (primarily book work) is assigned daily, and collected at the end of the next class period, unless otherwise specified. Group assignments will be due a week or two after they are assigned. Material from the group assignments is likely to appear on tests and quizzes, so make sure that all group members understand this material. No late homework is accepted. If you are unable to attend class, you can scan and email me the assignment. If you do not understand the material, meet with me or your group members before the assignment is due. Also, your two lowest homework scores will be dropped (this may be 0 if you skipped an assignment). Remember that communication is a crucial part of this class, as will be in your teaching, so make sure to communicate your ideas well in the homework assignments. This means writing complete sentences and explaining all your reasoning, even if a problem doesn't explicitly ask you to. Journal: I will frequently ask you to write a brief reflection on something we discussed in class, or the class itself. I am interested both in your mathematical thinking and in your reactions to mathematics learned. The journal can also be used to express frustration (or delight) with the class and with mathematics, or to ask questions about the material. Occasionally, I will give you readings: from the textbooks for the course, as well as journals and other sources, and ask you to write summaries of the readings or to answer some questions about them. You may keep a separate notebook for the journal, but it is not necessary. I will be grading the journal responses according to thoughtfulness and completeness, not correctness. Handouts: We will frequently work on handouts in class. These will be done in groups, and will occasionally be graded. This will be part of your quiz grade. Quizzes: I will occasionally give individual and group quizzes, in class and online; these quizzes will usually consist of 2-3 concept questions. The purpose of a quiz is to give you immediate feedback on your understanding of the material. Final project: You will be responsible for finding an article about teaching one of the mathematical topics we covered in class and preparing a 5 minute presentation and handouts for your classmates about the article. Information about the project is already available on the course webpage. Exams: There will be a short exam after the completion of each of the chapters 2-5. We will negotiate their exact dates in class. In addition, toward the end of the semester you will have the computational mini-exam that will test your proficiency in computation with whole numbers, fractions and decimals. You will be able to retake this exam until you are satisfied with the grade. Final exam: The final exam will be given on TBA. The final is comprehensive, and covers material from the entire semester. Do not make travel arrangements before this date, as you will not be able to take the final at an earlier time. Make-up policies: Make-up exams are given only when there is a valid excuse, such as a medical or family emergency, proof of which has to be provided. Drop/Withdraw: The last day to drop the class is TBA. The last day to withdraw is TBA. Grading: Individual homework 150 points Group homework 150 points Quizzes 100 points Journals 25 points 3 Chapter tests @ 75 points each Mini exam 100 points Project 50 points Final 200 points Total 1000 points Grades will be no lower than the following: A: 92.00%-100% A-: 89.51%-91.99% B+: 87.51%-89.50% B: 83.00%-87.51% B-: 79.51%-82.99% C+: 77.51%-79.50% C: 73.00%-77.50% C-: 69.51%-72.99% D+: 67.51%-69.50% D: 63.00%-67.50% D-: 59.51%-62.99% E: 0%-59.50% Special accommodations: Students with medically recognized and documented disabilities and who are in need of special accommodation should contact the Office of Disability Support Services (x7206). If you need special accommodations, please schedule an appointment to meet with me. Academic honesty: PLU's expectation is that students will not cheat or plagiarize, and that they will not condone these behaviors or assist others who plagiarize. Academic misconduct not only jeopardizes the career of the individual student involved, but also undermines the scholastic achievements of all PLU students and attacks the mission of the institution. In this class, cheating includes, but is not limited to: submitting material that is not yours as part of your course performance, such as copying from another student's exam, or allowing another student to copy your exam; helping another student to cheat; altering exam answers and requiring the exam to be re-graded. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to: representing an idea or strategy that is significant in one's own work as one's own when it comes from someone else. If you are unsure about something that you want to do or the proper use of materials, ask me for clarification. All cases of cheating and plagiarizing will be dealt with as specified in the Code of Student Conduct, which can be found at www.plu.edu/print/handbook. This may look like a lot of information, but I will make sure to remind you of all the policies throughout the semester. I look forward to working with you. Good luck!