SYLLABUS ACADEMIC STRATEGIES 40AB: MATH ANXIETY WORKSHOP
SECTION 4083 FALL/2009 T/TH 2-4:05p.m. Room H-107
My rules are the way they are to protect the learning environment of the classroom.
Please follow them to give everyone, including yourself, respect and a chance to succeed!
Instructor: Mrs. Burruss (Mrs. “B”)
Email Address: nburruss@elcamino.edu
Voicemail: (310) 532-3670 ~ EXT. 4404
Office hours: N/A
Website: http://www.elcamino.edu/faculty/nburruss (link to course website on the left column)
Also: www.schoolnotes.com Zip: 90506
CLASSROOM POLICIES
 The ECC Student Code of Conduct is strictly enforced.
o Removal from the class and/or
o a formal record filed with the Dean of Student Services
 Respect each other
o Help each other feel comfortable enough to participate
o Use appropriate language
o Maintain a positive learning environment
 Personal conversations should be held quietly in the hallways, not in class
 Eliminate unnecessary noise and disruptions
 Eat and drink outside of the classroom
 Be prepared with completed homework, arrive on time, and bring supplies
 Cheating will result in
o Zero on the assignment
o A formal record filed with the Dean of Student Services
ATTENDANCE & PUNCTUALITY ~ 2 unit course
Attendance means you are in your seat, prepared, and ready to participate in class
 Class begins promptly and will not end early, so plan accordingly
o Eating, work, bus/car schedules, appointments, etc.
 You may be dropped for poor attendance
o Sleeping, doing homework, focusing on other things, etc.
o More than two (2) absences
o More than three (3) occurrences of arriving late and/or leaving early
 Points will be given for attendance
o 5 points per day for attendance
 Deductions will be made for poor attendance
o You will receive 20 Bonus Points for perfect attendance throughout the semester
 Discuss what you missed in class with a study partner outside of the classroom
o If you are absent
 Let me know if you were out sick when you return
o If you are tardy
 Sign in to avoid an absence
o If you need to leave early
 Sign out to avoid an absence
 Let me know you will be leaving early that day
o
Note ~ Fall 2009 A student with Swine Flu or Flu, verified by a doctor, should stay home for
24 hours after the fever breaks, and this absence will be excused. Notify me to avoid being
dropped! Homework may be submitted electronically. Please keep a 3’ distance from others
on campus if you are sick and/or contagious!
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND EXPECTATIONS
My goal is to guide you to discover what is causing your anxiety with mathematics and
learn strategies to decrease this anxiety by exploring your learning style, study and test
taking techniques, and ways to dispute negative thought processes, which can all help to
reduce math anxiety.
For eight weeks, I expect you to put in at least 100% effort to do all your homework
on time and participate in class, be respectful to others, and do your own work with a
conscious effort to succeed. I expect you to care at least as much about yourself and
your education as I care about you and your success in this class!
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students successfully completing AS40ab will be able to:
1. Identify their attitudes concerning mathematics, and the origin of their mathematics anxiety.
2. Discuss differing strategies to overcome mathematics anxiety.
3. Identify and use appropriate mathematics anxiety strategies.
4. Develop strategies to resolve the mathematics barriers that lead to mathematics anxiety.
AS40ab SLO: Student Learning Outcome
Students will select at least two components of math where they choose to reduce their anxiety by creating an
Inner Guide* statement which allows them to dispute their negative thinking while listing a success strategy
learned in class that can be used to increase their math skill.
RECEIVING CREDIT FOR THE COURSE ~ Credit/No Credit course
 Complete homework and attendance requirements to obtain at least 70% of the total
points offered in class
o Keep track of your grade and save your work until grades are posted online!
 Dispute negative attitudes and old scripts towards mathematics by using positive
affirmations and success strategies
 Prioritize your goals and manage your time to meet the needs of your responsibility
o Allow 4 to 6 hours per week for homework
 Create a strategic plan to resolve mathematics barriers that lead to anxiety
 Use journaling to increase self-awareness
TESTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
 Assignments must be legible
o No credit will be given to illegible assignments
 One late assignment will be given full credit when turned in the following class
o (write NQA on the paper)
 20 Bonus Points if all homework is turned in on time and NQA is not used!
DATES TO REMEMBER
Students who don’t drop classes before the college’s deadlines will receive grades!
LAST DAY TO:
♦ ADD IS WEDS, 11/4/09
♦ DROP W/O NOTATION IS WEDS, 11/11/09
♦ DROP WITH A “W” IS MON, 12/7/09
Notes
♦ There are many services on campus including the Special Resource Center, the Learning
Resource Center, the Basic Skills Study Center, the Math Tutoring Lab, Counseling, the Career
Center, the Health Center, and others which may provide assistance. Please feel free to explore
and use them.
♦ Remaining in class means that you understand and agree with this syllabus.
Students must conduct themselves in a responsible and appropriate manner for a
college environment (ECC Board Policy 5138). All students are subject to the student
code of conduct. It is the responsibility of the student to read and understand the
student code of conduct and all relevant policies and procedures.
Students attending El Camino College are protected by the Family Education Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA). Neither the parent (nor their family member), nor a
representative from the student’s school may inquire about the student or obtain
information on the student’s academic performance, enrollment, or attendance without
the expressed written consent of the student.
The ADA requires that postsecondary schools provide appropriate academic
adjustments as necessary to ensure that it does not discriminate on the basis of
disability.
SUPPLIES NEEDED
 Textbook(with CD):
Conquering Math Anxiety
by Cynthia Arem, Third Edition 2010,
Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning
ISBN # 978-0-495-82940-9
 1 standard deck of playing cards
 2 unwrinkled Scantrons:
ParScore F-1712-PAR-L
(large & pink w/mini blue-book)
 Lots of notebook paper
 2 sharpened # 2 pencils
with good erasers
 100 3x5 cards
Things I need to remember:
 A small pair of school scissors
 A small stapler with staples
 Internet Access (you may use
computers on campus)
 ECC Student ID card