Math 101 Mathematics for Elementary Teachers
Spring 2001
Instructor
Office
Phone
E-Mail
Office Hours
Dr. Jeff Wright
171G Serra Hall
260-7491
jhwright@acusd.edu
MW 2:15-3:45, Th 9:00-11:00 and by appointment
Class Meetings
Section 1: MWF 8:55 – 9:50
Section 2: MWF 10:00 – 10:55
314 Serra Hall
314 Serra Hall
Section 1: Monday, May 21
7:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Section 2: Friday,
May 18
7:30 – 9:30 a.m.
All Faith Service
Friday February 2. On this day only, section 1 will meet from 8:40 – 9:20,
and section 2 will meet from 9:30 – 10:10.
Spring Break
March 19 – 23. No classes will be held during that week.
Easter Break
April 12 – 13 Holy Thursday, Good Friday break, no classes.
Drop Deadline
Friday April 6 – Last day to withdraw and receive a W.
Prerequisite
Math 91 - Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I
Textbook: Mathematics for Elementary Teachers, 5th Edition by G. L. Musser, et al. This is the
same text used for both sections of Math 91 in the last Fall 2000 semester. We will be
covering chapters 9 through 16. This book is available in the campus bookstore.
Calculators: It will often be helpful to have a calculator available. You are encouraged to bring
one to class. You will be allowed to use a calculator on most tests and assignments.
Other Supplies: A stapler is required. All material which you hand in which is more than one
page in length must be stapled together. You should also have a ruler and a pair of scissors.
Academic Integrity: Please be aware of the academic integrity policy of this University. Cheating
and plagiarism are serious offenses and will be treated seriously. Although I encourage you
to study together, unless specifically designated as a group assignment all work you hand in
should be your own. Do not discuss any aspect of any exam in this class with anyone at all,
until all exams are returned. Do not discuss the final exam with anyone at all, until next
semester.
The World Wide Web contains a wealth of information for anyone who can use a
search engine, and you are encouraged take advantage of this resource. However, it is
imperative that you fully cite with author and URL any materials you find on the Web.
Also, if you choose to use anything verbatim, you must provide additional thoughtful
comments, critiques and edits to what you find.
USD E-mail Account and WebCT: WebCT is an Internet-based tool we will be making much
use of in Math 101. This system allows you to use your browser to access your grades,
communicate with me and other students in the class, and complete online assignments. To
use WebCT, you must have a USD email account and password (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. will
not work for this purpose), and Internet access with a browser, either Netscape or Internet
Explorer. If you do not have a USD email account or have forgotten your password, you
should immediately go to the Academic Computing lab S205 with your valid USD ID.
Final Exams
WebCT-based assignments will commence with the second week of classes, and there will
be no way to make up for missed online work.
Philosophy of the Course
This course emphasizes content over methods. Rather than focusing on how to
teach mathematics in elementary school, you should gain the ability to describe phenomena
in mathematical terms and learn to recognize and foster creative mathematical thinking in
yourself and your students. I hope to share with you a sense of the beauty of mathematics
and what it is like to do mathematics and to think mathematically.
Some of the material we cover may seem to you to be more advanced than anything
you are likely to teach. This may or may not be true. The elementary school curriculum is
changing rapidly and in surprising ways in response to the ongoing crisis in mathematics
education in the U.S. Not only do our students do not perform as well in mathematics as
students in other industrialized countries, our classrooms are becoming ever more diverse.
New models for both content and methods are being tried at an increasing rate, and to be
able to keep up with these changes you need to become comfortable with mathematical
thinking and develop the ability to learn new mathematics on your own. In order to teach
effectively, you must know more and have a deeper understanding than your students. A
person who reads on a first grade level would not be considered competent to teach reading
to first graders. It is the same with mathematics. You must not only know how to solve a
problem but you must know and be able to explain why your solution is correct. "Why?" is
a young child's favorite question and as future teachers you must practice answering this
question.
As with any three-unit college course, you should expect to spend at least six hours
per week outside of lecture on work for this class. Do not fall behind. If you find yourself
lost or confused please come see me at once so that you can get back on track. My goal is
to help you become the best teacher of mathematics that you possibly can. I intend to have
fun this semester and hope you will too.
Grading, Homework and Exams.
1. Two in-class exams will be worth 30% (15% each) of your final grade. These tests are
(tentatively) scheduled for Wednesday, February 28 and Wednesday, April 11. Make-up
tests will only be given in the event of a verifiable serious illness.
2. Homework will count for 15% of your grade. Most weeks there will be two homework
assignments, one consisting of a larger number of shorter problems ("Regular Homework")
to be graded by the course reader, and the second consisting of a smaller number of more
involved problems ("Problem of the Week") to be graded by myself.
Unless otherwise assigned, all homework is to be done individually. Each Regular
Homework assignment will usually be due at the beginning of class on the Wednesday of
the week after it is assigned, while the Problem of the Week assignment will usually be due
at the beginning of class on the Friday of the week after it is assigned. All homework
should be neat, easy to read (typed, if possible), and written in clear, concise English.
Assignments more than one page in length must be stapled together. I will spend only a
limited amount of class time discussing homework, and I will not answer questions in class
about homework due that day. I will not accept late work under any circumstances. If you
are sick on the day a homework assignment is due, have a friend drop it off at my office.
3. Online assignments will comprise 10% of the final grade. To encourage reading before
class sessions, there will be regular on-line reading guides to be completed in WebCT.
These guides will only be available for completion until the midnight before the class
session. They will include multiple-choice, true/false and short essay questions that are
amenable to an online format. To gain access to the WebCT course materials, you must
have a USD email account and password, as described above.
4. Papers and projects will be worth 20% of the final grade. These will include a substantial
internet-based project. Some of these assignments may be group projects. Late papers and
projects will be accepted, but if they are more than one class period late they will not be
given full credit. Papers and projects more than one week late will not be accepted at all.
5. Final. A cumulative, mandatory final exam worth 25% of your grade will be given. The
exam dates are noted on the first page of this syllabus.
Miscellany
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Practice, practice, practice. Mathematics is not a spectator sport. The only way to learn
math is to do problems. Just as you cannot become a world-class gymnast by watching the
Olympics on TV, you cannot expect to learn math by listening to others talk about it or
reading other people's work. You should expect to spend lots of time on your homework
for this class. Some of the problems I assign will be challenging, and you will probably not
be able to solve every one. The goal is to think about and struggle with every problem.
Once you get the solution to a problem, you should go back and practice it until you can do
it easily without recourse to hints or notes. It does not help to practice with problems you
can already do – you must pump neural iron on problems that are hard! It is through such
struggles that you develop mathematical muscle.
Attendance is mandatory, since much of the content will be developed by you in class and
through the homework. If you miss class you are still responsible for all the material
covered in class that day, and for handing in on time all work assigned that day. Please
provide verification of legitimate absences such as those resulting from illness or some
family emergency. Every three unexcused absences will lower your final grade by one
notch, for example from a B- to a C+.
I strongly encourage you to type all work to be handed in, especially papers and
projects, but also weekly homework. Word-processing helps you to be more organized and
precise in your thinking, and encourages iterative review of your work, which is when
mathematical learning takes place the most. It fosters a sense of pride and professionalism.
If you are taking this class Pass/Fail, you need to have the equivalent of a C- to pass.
A grade of incomplete will only be given if you are doing passing work and some sort of
extraordinary circumstance unrelated to the course prevents you from completing all of the
course requirements. You will not receive an incomplete merely because you fall behind in
the course.