MATH 123, Modern elementary mathematics,
Spring 2010
Text: A problem solving approach to mathematics for
elementary school teachers, 9th Edition by Billstein, Libeskind
& Lott. We will cover the following sections 1.1, 1.3, 2.3, 2.4,
3.1-3.4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1-5.4, 6.1, 6.2, 6.5.
Topics covered: Problem solving; numeration; operations on
whole numbers and integers; rational numbers; decimals; percents;
ratios; algebraic thinking. Special attention will be paid to
operations on whole numbers and to fractions. Why this
class is important: The original purpose of public schools was
to train the work force. To this day, public schools often fail in
teaching children to become critical thinkers. This is where you
come in. Most of you will become public school teachers. It is your
responsibility to instill in your students intellectual curiosity,
regardless of their social class and ancestry. In this undertaking,
math will play a huge part.
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 you were 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. You
can also see my schedule on Google Calendar. 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. I will give you examples of sufficient and insufficient
explanations.
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 three midterms. 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 Tuesday, May 25 1:00pm - 2:50pm. 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 Monday, February 22. The last day to withdraw is Friday, May 7.
Grading:
Individual homework 20%
Group homework 10%
Quizzes 8% points
Journals 2% points 3 Chapter tests @ 10% each
Fraction and decimal quiz 5% Project 5%
Final 20% points Total 100%
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. I will do my best to meet your needs.
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!